Out & About #959 | Issho Bakery, Distillery Again + BOKU

Unnecessary repetition is one of my biggest grievances. If not for the purpose of identifying obstacles and streamlining a process for efficiency, repeating an identical series of steps devoid of variables is, in essence, purposeless.

The same perspective would extend towards watching the same movie, visiting an event, or ordering the same meal twice. Options and customization capabilities exist in this world.
Where circumstances can change with time, however, there is validity in revisiting a scene or site. Different variables enable opportunities for optimization, as well as furthering one's ability to learn.

When my former carpooling partner proposed a Distillery visit for the purposes of viewing holiday lights, I responded with initial reluctance. But when my own visit was met with a horrendous rain and wind storm, I found that I wasn't entirely opposed to redoing the annual experience.

And so, a date was set after much grief, for each individual's extent of planning differed drastically. That said, departure time was not confirmed until the morning of - likely the smartest move, given my unpunctual track record and packed errand-running schedule.

After a light lunch, we set out for East Chinatown. The stop had been added in response to my intense yearning for visiting Issho Bakery.

​Travel time approximated an hour, with decent traffic along the Gardiner and a peculiar loop about the DVP at Bayview. Eventually, we arrived at a Green P lot near  Gerrard and Broadview. Near its southwest corner was the Toronto Chinese Archway, an intricately crafted landmark representative of the neighborhood's cultural identity. The traditional piece of stone architecture contrasted against the vivid artwork on the side of the adjacent building. Above the south strip of parking spaces were words of "welcome" in Simplified Chinese, filled in black and outlined in mint green.

Traversing east through the major intersection, I was reminded of distant evenings and winding lineups for entry into Eric Nam.

After several years of pandemic deliveries, Issho Bakery had opened a physical location at the southeast corner of Gerrard and Broadview. The location proved convenient for commuters and drivers alike, being situated along a streetcar route and with public parking in the vicinity. Observed at the entryway were a blue StopGap ramp and door that opened inward to promote accessibility.

​The interior was as depicted on social media: compact yet cozy, embracing a minimalist design with a glass partition to give the illusion of spaciousness.

My former carpooling partner requested Drip Coffee, to which one half of the Issho duo responded that they had ran out of drip, would sub for an Americano, but charge for drip. This gesture, while fleeting, was worth commending for its prioritization of customer interest over personal capital gain. It should also be noted that it was my first time hearing anyone beyond myself requesting black coffee for consumption.

​Naturally, I wasn't about to suppress my eagerness towards sampling the bake shop's newest concoctions. My request for cookies, canelés, and assorted treats earned me a paper box and bag for carrying; the purchase was unlocked a Buy 6, No Tax deal. I also inquired of the off-the-menu Military Latte, a steeply priced beverage with a base of Matcha Latte ($6.80!) and added shot (shots?) of espresso ($2.40!). Payment was completed via Square, with receipts sent digitally - either text or email - in the absence of an on-site printer.

​The drink was delightful and exceptionally fragrant, albeit a tad gritty.

​A strip of backless seating could be found along the street-facing edge of the café. There, we took to discussing upcoming plans over toasty, green-lidded cups before departing.

My bakery purchases ranged between $3.00 to $3.85. Surprisingly, canelés had not been priced that much higher than cookies, in spite of greater associated labour and equipment costs. Order of Eating was clarified to be canelés, scone, and Chex Square for same-day consumption, followed by cookies, which usually keep for a few days. My unexpectedly tardy return led to next-day sampling of the canelés, though, thankfully, they retained their impressive depth.
​

• Tonka Rum Canelé ($3.85) - Fundamentally phenomenal; boasted a delectable crust and an indulgent, custardy centre with luxurious notes of rum and vanilla bean
• Houjicha Canelé ($3.85) - Comprehensively embodied essence of houjicha, though less aromatic than the tonka and rum combination. There was comparatively less depth when sampled side by side, but nonetheless an enjoyable experience exemplary of maximizing houjicha's potential.
• Kimchi Cheddar Scone ($3.85) - Sample the next day after retoasting slightly, the scone emitted evident pepperiness from kimchi, yet kept funk from fermentation at bay. It harnessed the essence of spicy, pickled cabbage without odd textural inconsistencies - just enough to distinguish the presence of kimchi. Incorporating cheddar contributed a wonderful, savoury touch to balance tang. Meanwhile, the black and white sesame seed topping offered a crunchy first bite.

• ​Secretly Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie ($3.50) - A solid classic - and indeed, secretly vegan - with chocolate chunks instead of chips, I was especially fond of the addition of flaky salt on the surface.
• Ginger Molasses Cookie ($3.50) - Spectacularly gingery with an abundance of candied ginger chunks, prominence of ginger throughout the dough, and a surface coated liberally with turbinado, this cookie was likely my one-pick of the entire assortment and a commensurate rival against SK's molasses cookies.
• Peanut Butter Miso Corn Chex Marshmallow Square ($3.00) - Arguably a tad sugary for breakfast but well-rounded in terms of gooey marshmallow, crunchy cereal layers and PB creaminess.

​About sixty minutes of parking (at $1.25 for every half hour) allowed for browsing of the neighbourhood on foot. The scene wasn't drastically different from the Dundas/Spadina Chinatown, for street-side market vendors, salons, tutoring centres, and pho establishments persisted as frequent sightings. It was arguably more residential, filled with locals rather than tourists.

Beyond Issho, a handful of modern-looking destinations were observed about the same major intersection, including:

• Chicken Plus at the southwest corner on Gerrard
• O'Somae on the southeast on Broadview, a brunch spot with a simplistic, appealing exterior but not-so-promising interior
• Oji Seichi on the southwest on Broadview for Japanese sandos, soft serve, and somewhat Dosanko-like West Coast vibes

"Do you think the library is open?"
"It should be?" I had pondered briefly before responding. "It's a Saturday. I don't see why it wouldn't be."

The Toronto Public Library's Riverdale branch assumed our last stop in the neighbourhood.

​While climbing up the steps, it dawned upon that the detour may as well have been my first time in any Toronto library. It remained up for discussion whether Robarts Library on the UofT grounds counted, though I excluded the building on the basis that it was privately-owned and excluded from the TPL directory.
Given that two accessible bathrooms could be found immediately after the double doors, we did not venture much further into the quiet, Wi-Fi-enabled space.

Next on the (unspoken) agenda was a trip to the Eaton Centre. Frankly, the possibility of visiting the shopping centre three times in a week hadn't even vaguely been considered, but apparently the proponent had errands to be done.

Instead of parking in CF's dedicated garage, we inched up towards Bay Street to find the ramp towards Impark's Bell Trinity Square lot. Being one to never drive downtown unless absolutely warranted, being guided around the City's various parking options was a new experience for me. In addition, I appreciated that rates had already been investigated in advance for cost-saving purposes - the garage charged a mere five dollars for four hours!

I was guided towards Arc'teryx on the third floor, then roamed Williams-Sonoma and Indigo leading up to the Tree Light Show at 5:30 PM.

​The weekend viewing exuded a different atmosphere than the 12:30 PM weekday showing. Visitors had enthusiastically gathered well in advance of the start time, huddling about the railings and near the fountain. Families with young children were the primary demographic, with the offspring noticeably enticed by the countdown timer.

As a result of my previous experience, I was able to determine the prime viewing location for both the light sequence and indoor snow.

The hunt for clean washrooms, as well as my enthusiasm in pointing out potential areas of interest throughout the mall, eventually led us through the Canadian Chroma exhibit, into Uniqlo, and out onto Yonge Street.

Octo Zone, from my vague recollection, supported birthday parties towards the back of the store. Consequently, I suspected indoor plumbing facilities to accompany this event space opportunity - and I was right. Of the two stalls, one was locked; the accessible opened with ease.

Entering back into the 483 Bay building proved a challenge. Egress was permitted to those within, though access was restricted from street level. The locked doors instilled wariness in me. In fear of access back towards the car proving difficult later on, I suggested heading towards Distillery instead of sourcing sustenance in the neighbourhood. Congestion levels were treacherous in the early evening hours, rendering our travel time towards the Cooperage Street garage to approximate an hour.

Locating parking was the singly most tragic task of the outing. When we finally arrived at the garage, all spaces were found occupied. Routing back to street level, I proposed an alternative surface lot, only to discover it blocked off for "Resident Parking Only".
Continuing south along Parliament, signage for Event Parking was spotted. The signs continued along Lake Shore Blvd, directing us towards a questionable gravel lot and a sign reading "$25 Cash Only". It would be an understatement to declare parking a hot commodity in the City.

Exasperation levels had surged, reasonably so, given the incredulous amounts of traffic and absence of a solution. Astounding to me was good-mannered nature of the operator of the vehicle, for my patience would have been depleted within seconds of departing the first parking attempt.

Accompanied by a heaved sigh was the suggestion to scrap Distillery altogether, but I asserted that the visit was possible. We merely needed to park further and brave the trek.

In the course of time, a reasonably priced garage was located in St. Lawrence, just steps from my beloved Third Wave Coffee. But, by some twist of unfortunate fate, a downpour ensued the moment we arrived at ground level.
Dodging puddles and settled surfaces, my companion was subject to gripes of varying caliber as we prodded southeast. The day had remained precipitation-free until 8 PM, yet my second visit would still be rainy, conflicting with my explicit desire to redo the previous chaotic visit.

"I have mixed feelings right now." I declared, utterly disenchanted by the turn of events.
"Regret? Hatred?" came the inquiries for clarification.
"Neither of those." There were no strong negative feelings associated with the result whatsoever. "More like 'disbelief'? And 'it would be great if...'"
"Well, of course."

​The walk estimated fifteen minutes. Opting for the scenic route, we strode through Berczy Park, which was decorated with a colourful arch at its Wellington Street entrance and scarf-donning dogs on the fountain. The rest of the trip was pedestrian-friendly as well, for the south side of The Esplanade east of Lower Jarvis was lined in abundance with park space.

A crowd was observed at the Parliament access of the Distillery Winter Village. Entry was exclusively permitted through Mill Street and Cherry Street, demanding that we loop about the cobblestone lanes for admission verification. By this point, about two hours had passed since our initial departure from Eaton. That said, crowds and vendor queues were atrocious even after 8 PM.

My proposal of BOKU was met without opposition. By some stroke of luck, the wait was minimal, and we were seated within ten minutes.

I was grateful to have been provided a table by the window, rather than two cramped spots at the bar. Two glasses and a lock-top bottle of water appeared shortly after being seated. Drinks were supplemented with Club Soda with lemon (in the absence of sparkling water) and a Non-Alcoholic Pale Ale from Partake Brewing. The latter had been my ultimate choice, though I'd have preferred a radler-esque concoction of Sapporo on tap and Ting grapefruit juice had the restaurant allowed it.

​We took to a Beef Udon and Salmon Don, both of which entailed quite the lengthy wait.

Despite supposedly being braised for six hours, the beef brisket chunks adorning the dish were extremely dry and sinewy. My dining companion was of the opinion that the combination "needed broth". Meanwhile, I wasn't persuaded that any form of rehydration could salvage the meat.

My own Salmon Don was mediocre at best. Not only had the eatery swapped plump, gleaming Japanese short-grain rice for a base was a dry, parched Jasmine, the scorched salmon was limp and the toppings overly saucy. My two-dollar addition of nitamago egg was dismal, for, while it was indeed soft-boiled, it was lacked structure and depth of flavour. The sprinkling of raw red onion slices was also hardly warranted.

Two unisex bathroom stalls could be found at the back of the restaurant. The one closest to the kitchen was maintained decently with ample toiletries stocked on a nearby table; the sole exception was the malfunctioning toilet paper dispenser.

​Our meal concluded around the 10 PM mark, with last call announced around 9:45 PM.

Droplets continued to fall after our late supper, but at a modest rate compared to before.

Most of the Distillery Winter Village's patrons had exited the premises, given the closure of cabin vendors and event ending time. While unintended, we were left to browse the festive light configurations free of crowds and lineups.

​The late evening hours were characterized by drizzly, misty climate. Umbrellas could be tucked away momentarily, however a residual dampness hung about the air. Either way, I was overjoyed to be granted even a short photo-taking window.

My former carpooling partner took interest in browsing the retail shops still in operation, thus we lingered for a tad longer before re-routing back to the car. It was also during this period that a realization was made: One could browse the light installations of the Distillery Winter Village on weekends without paying for admission after 10 PM. The later arrival would likely be associated with lower levels of congestion as well as facilitate parking. Admittedly, I was a bit apologetic for omitting this option; the thought hadn't crossed my mind at all, for my typical visiting times constitute weekday afternoons/evenings by transit.

​Along the way back, we passed snowflake projections outside the St. Lawrence Market building and twinkly lights bound to median streetscape of Front Street near the Gooderham Building. Once again, the nighttime scene was foreign to me - a beautiful tranquility I would have otherwise never thought to explore.

​The clock read 11:38 PM when we made it back to the car. Shockingly, traffic along Gardiner hadn't improved significantly since our early afternoon drive into the downtown. A fog-shrouded CN Tower and positive revelations towards in-moment planning filled my return back to the GTA. Although exhausting, each segment of the day was novel, prompting quick thinking, encouraging resourcefulness, and brimming with opportunities for learning and optimization.