Out & About #981 | An Early Spring, Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup + Amazing Gyudon

Sometimes, we are ambitious. At other times, we embrace the mundane, whether by will or by obligation.
More often than not, I tend to lean towards the ambitious side when it comes to productivity and task completion, leading those around me to point out the schedules as being "impractical", "unsustainable", or both.

The week commenced with my last slice of Whole Wheat Tangzhong smothered with Nutella and eaten with a side of banana. Once the carby stash was depleted, I turned to either All Bran cereal (with or without milk) and oatmeal. Partial recovery of the bread maker insert enabled the formation of a watery pineapple jam.

Lunchtime saw the creation of Homemade Cha Siu - not made by yours truly, while afternoon snack time a bag of Thai Honey Mango featuring Ferra.

For the first time since the start of my sake sampling days, I picked up a bottle of Nigori Sake from Izumi. Despite having visited their Distillery District brewery on a multitude of occasions, the weighty glass bottles had always deterred me from acquiring a piece from their classic lineup for the commute home.

​The "cloudy" formula was delicious; milkier by visuals over taste, the brew was slightly sweet but nevertheless brimming with flavour. Moreover, the bottle design was delightful: edged with pink sakura blossoms and a snowy, sky blue-turquoise silhouette of the CN tower and surrounding buildings.

​On my non-drinking days, I also began to test suitable mix-ins for Asahi Super Dry 0.0%. While T&T's Citron Drink with Passionfruit failed to sustain a sense of harmony, orange juice was successful in yielding a zesty, alcoholic-free radler.

​Meals of the week included: Braised Daikon with Preserved Chinese Sausage (Lap Cheong), Pan-Fried Pork & Leek Postickers (from frozen), and a trio of homemade dishes constructed in under three hours. The latter three items were constructed in just under three hours, inclusive of dishwashing.

1) Roasted Tomato & Garlic Soup

Based off one of SK's many tomato soups, my rendition involved cutting vine tomatoes into sections (rather than halves) and tossing them in olive oil, parsley, and sage (since rosemary not popular in our household) for roasting. Whatever few cloves of garlic hadn't turned mouldy were also smashed and added into the bowl. The tray would then be subject to 425 F for about one hour, until the edges were charred and tomato skin shriveled.

The entire lot would then be transferred to a pot with chicken stock, umeshu brandy, and water and loosely puréed using an immersion blender. When the flavours weren't as pronounced as desired, a generous swig of balsamic vinegar, salt, and sugar were used to amplify the relatively mild notes of tomato and not-so-fresh garlic. A squeeze of ketchup was also used to alter the hue from a modest orange to saturated satsuma, however only minimal payoff was achieved.

After a steady simmer, the soup was taken off the heat and sampled while still warm. Results were more tart than I could have ever imagined, but still delicious. Personally, a potent punch of garlic would have heightened the consumption experience. Though, true cooking is about maximizing the ingredients on hand with strategy, rather investing in premium ingredients for the sake of constructing common fare.

The aromatic broth earned favours in the household, especially when paired with the comparatively greasier pan-fried gyoza and Gyudon. Our sole third party sampler voiced displeasure towards the inclusion of tomato seeds. That said, sieving the mixture would remove the chunkier elements, consequently leading to a uninteresting, one-dimensional texture. Seeds were the least of my concern; the somewhat loose consistency bothered me to a greater degree ingread.

2) Beef Brisket Gyudon

The concept of this dish stemmed from a sleepless night's woes over low food supply. Beef Brisket shabu strips from BTrust were allowed to thaw at room temperature briefly before being marinated (and defrosted further) in a mixutre of Shaoxing wine, dark and lighy soy sauce, sesame oil, and sugar.

Then, about thirty minutes (or less) later, oil was brought up to temperature for the sautéeing of onions. Frankly, juggling dishwashing and stovetop activities is not always as easy as it appears. A portion of my onions burnt before reaching the translucent stage, for which a taste-tester beyond my household didn't hesitate to point out. The rest of the dish came together easily: tender, buttery brisket paired splendidly with sweet, softened onion to form a luscious gyudon topping. Frozen grated carrots were also included at the last minute for an interesting splash of colour and mild textural variance. A sprinkle of sesame seeds topped the dish for a nutty, crunchy finish.

​Blue skies have eased their way into my morning commute following weeks of overcast, above-seasonal conditions. Mercury levels were also found to have surged to the positive double-digits, leading me to reach for a thinner, waterproof rain jacket.

Readying myself for the 7 AM commute to the GO station, I glanced upwards to find beaming rays of sunshine and a glorious breadth of blue above my head.

​These conditions would persist into the early afternoon hours, at which point a precipitation-filled transition was predicted.

My forever helper happened to be downtown for work-related appointments. Consequently, I led the way around the neighbourhood, eventually arriving at Village by the Grange for budget-friendly lunch finds.

​I hurried zipped through the food court, knowing that I'd reek of greasy fumes if I dared reside for too long.
At the west end of the building was a brighter - not to mention less foul-smelling! - dining area. There, I observed as a Pulled Pork Adobo Sandwich was requested from Eats Manila for seven dollars plus tax. Adding a can of Sprite raised the overall bill total to just over ten dollars.

Albeit capable of granting contentment, the constituents of the sandwich were admittedly strange: a room temperature fully-cooked egg, warm pulled pork, red onion slivers, and cold coleslaw were fitted into a room temperature burger bun topped with fried (burnt?), flavourless onions.

​After parting ways, I began a leisurely stroll back to the office through the Entertainment District.

Discovered in the office were mini chocolate croissants (damp and mediocre at best), a Costco-sized gift box of Lindt truffles, and Assorted Timbits in some of my preferred flavours.

​The evening hours welcomed the arrival of rain - no longer were the skies glorious and free.

​But climate conditions improved overnight. By the time of my subsequent office visit, clear skies and few clouds were spotted at the station.

Instead of traversing northbound on York, I opted to navigating towards Bay Street to avoid the minimum of five homeless sightings on the east side of York Street between Front and King.

Within the Bay Concourse, an Aeroplan and Starbucks' collaboration pop-up drew crowds at the early hour of 8 AM. While not nearly as lengthy as the patties lineup, eager passerbys had been split between two lines to facilitate the distribution process. Regardless the line moved quickly, and I received the promotional flyer and the anti-climactic "Starbucks baked good" within minutes of queueing. All in all, the detour and quality of the complimentary cake pop were highly disappointing. Instead of snappy chocolate was a malleable pink coating, to make matters worse, the inside was not the decadent chocolate I had expected, but a mushy plain batter with too much synthetic binder. 

Thursdays also coincided with 50% off entrée deals for IKEA Family members. At the downtown outpost, the promotion would commence at 2 PM; for others, the website revealed that the discount would commence at 11 AM earliest.

Considerably less concerned about food than other nearby patrons, I browsed the two-level retailer for utility carts instead. Along the way, it was learned that previously purchased food trays had seen a price reduction, BBQ grill trays were stocked in preparation of the spring/summer season, and 250 g bags of coffee could be obtained at just $5.99 per bag.

My visit saw acquisition of the aforementioned whole bean coffee, two $1.99 towels to be used as dishcloths, and, against my better decision, one of the three-level trolleys. The intent had been eliminate the hassle of yet another visit to the standalone IKEA stores, concurrently nixing the need to navigate at a slower pace to facilitate the browsing needs of my usual companion.

Lugging the cart around downtown proved challenging, despite not extremely taxing. I had wished to attempt one more stop before retracing my steps back to the office. Unfortunately, the meandering lineup outside Matcha Matcha was incredulous; with products priced at a staggering $7-$8 before tax, it was unthinkable how students could afford the luxury beverage.

Turning on my heel, I returned to the office, gearing up accordingly for my later departure. At the 4 PM mark, I inched towards the elevator with three items in tow: my backpack, laptop bag, and the hefty utility cart. The packaging was, thankfully, very compact, allowing me to weave through slow-moving pedestrians as needed.

​Heaving and huffing, the entirety of me made it to the GO station platform without compromising speed whatsoever. Perspiration was inevitable. My arms, while tired, were only slightly sore in the days after.

I may not have "critically" needed a cart, but I wanted one. And I wanted one ready for my usage whenever I was ready for it.