SNAPSHOTS | TORONTO 2024 | DAY 5

 

The final instalment in the Toronto series! After four days, my parents had a fierce craving for Vietnamese food. The older I get, the more I understand them.

 

 

Since it was breakfast time, I tried to find a restaurant that was open early so we had enough time to eat before checking out of our hotel. Pho Pasteur in Chinatown, open 24 hours, fit the bill perfectly. The restaurant was empty but I guess not many people are eating bowls of pho at 9 in the morning. Prices were also higher than usual, but I think you're paying for convenience. Also, it may just be the standard for Toronto.

 

I ordered the "my tho" rice noodle soup ($19.99), dry version, which means the rice noodles are mixed with a sauce and soup is served on the side. Toppings include prawns, cuttlefish, fish balls, imitation crab, char sui (BBQ pork), cha lua (Vietnamese sausage), and a fried prawn cracker. Lots of variety, but flavours were pretty mild. Not the best I've had. 

 

 One last stroll through Chinatown.

 

We checked out of the hotel, but left our luggage on site since we still had half the day before our flight home.

 

 We decided to walk along the waterfront to check out the views.

 

 

We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day. Perfect for basking in the sun.

 

 

Here we have Canada's most dangerous predators.

 

Our final destination in Toronto was The Well, a mixed-use development that borders Spadina, Front, and Wellington. It includes offices, residences, and an outdoor shopping mall.

An outdoor shopping mall is a risky move in Canada, but the architecture is simply amazing! It's still a new development so not all of the retail units were filled.

 

 

Spotted a giant Jellycat at the Indigo. Likely not for sale, but it must be $$$.

 

 

One of the main draws of The Well is Wellington Market! Located on the lower level, it's a food hall/food court situation where all the vendors are local Toronto businesses.

 

 

It's a fun space and a great way to try many famous Toronto institutions under one roof.

 

 

Both my parents went to Blue Claw Lobster Shack for the East coast classic roll combo ($22.95). It was a chilled lobster roll dressed in mayo, lemon, and black pepper. The roll was buttery and toasted, and had a good amount of lobster for the price. The combo also includes a drink and fries, which were similar to Costco fries.

 

 

I decided to try Gus Tacos, a local Toronto chain. Their menu is pretty straightforward. Choose between tacos, quesadillas, tortas, or burritos, with your choice of protein (steak, chicken, pastor, birria, carnitas, mushrooms, or fish). I got 2 tacos ($5.00 each), one grilled steak and one pastor. It was cheap and filling, but I would say the meat was a bit tough and dry.

 

For dessert, we tried two places! The first was Rosie's Burgers, a popular smashburger spot that's also known for their banana pudding ($6.00). I love banana desserts so I was excited to try this! This features vanilla custard, fresh bananas, graham crackers, and a cookie crumble. The cookie crumble was a nice texture contrast in a dessert that's usually just mushy. However, this was a bit too sweet for me. 

 

Our final bite was Isabella's Donuts. They specialize in mochi donuts, with flavours that change every week. I was impressed with their endless creativity!

 

 

We decided on the yuzu black sesame ($4.50), two of my favourite flavours. The donut was soft, chewy, and not too sweet. The yuzu glaze was citrus-y and floral, while the black sesame buttercream was creamy. I would've preferred a bit more black sesame flavour personally.

 

And that, ladies and gents, is a wrap on Toronto 2024! Until next time!

 

- CT

SNAPSHOTS | TORONTO 2024 | DAY 4

 

My parents' one request for this trip was to go to Niagara Falls. It takes a little under 2 hours from Toronto (depending on traffic) and there are many ways to get there. I thought it would be easiest and most convenient to book a day tour so I could just relax and shut my brain off. 

 

 

The bus picked us up outside CN Tower/Ripley's Aquarium, leaving at 8:00 am sharp. It was a full bus and quite an international crew. We ended up being the only Canadians on board. There were people from Italy, England, USA, Hong Kong, Taiwan, etc.

 

Our tour guide did double duty as our bus driver. He was an older gentleman, polite and knowledgeable. A pet peeve I did have was his constant throat clearing over the intercom.

 

Along the way, we made quick 5 min stops at the Whirlpool and Floral Clock.

 

 

Another stop was Maple Leaf Place, a roadside area that's part maple syrup factory, part cafeteria, and part souvenir gift shop.  

They had a free maple syrup tasting where you could sample 3 different varieties: golden, amber, and dark. My favourite was the dark as it had the strongest maple flavour. They also had a station with free maple syrup taffy! A true Canadian experience.

 

Next, we ventured over to Skylon Tower, an observatory deck with views of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls, American Falls, and the Bridal Veil Falls. It was an optional add-on for the tour, so we each paid about $20 a person to go up. The Tower is 775 feet high, with elevators that take less than a minute to the top.

It was a neat perspective seeing the Falls from above. Thankfully it was a clear day despite the rain clouds.

The main event of the tour is the boat ride! We took a vernacular down to the boat, where hundreds of people are shuffled on. They supply you with a red poncho which doesn't do much to keep you dry. You will get wet. 

I had a lot of fun and it was a thrilling experience getting so close to the Falls. We skipped it during my last visit but I would highly recommend doing it at least once. 

 

 After the boat ride, we had a couple hours of free time to explore on our own. I brought my parents over to the Clifton Hill area, which has a ton of family-friendly activities, attractions, and restaurants.

 

We decided to have lunch at Burger Factory, something quick and easy. We each got a cheeseburger with their fresh cut fries. You could customize the burger with any toppings you'd like. It was a pretty big burger and tasted decent. Their fries were good as well. Love a skin-on fry. 

 

My dad wanted a sweet treat (I am definitely my father's child), so we came across Sweet Jesus. Sweet Jesus used to have a stall in West Edmonton Mall, well known for their over the top soft serve creations. My dad chose the Oh Hungry, vanilla soft serve with peanut butter sauce, caramel sauce, chocolate peanut crumble, and chocolate drizzle. They aren't shy with the toppings and we barely managed to make a dent.

   

The drive back to Toronto felt much longer, since we were now dealing with rush hour traffic. When we finally got dropped off, we walked past Rogers Centre and hundreds of Blue Jays fans excited for the game (they did end up winning!).

 

After resting at the hotel for a bit, we left for dinner at Khao San Road. It must be the grandma in me, but they have their music way too loud. Between the buzz of the patrons and the bumping club music, you could barely hear a word. Regardless, we were here for the food.   

Thai iced tea ($6.50), always a staple. 

 

Another Thai staple, the Bangkok-style pad Thai ($21.75). Rice noodles, tamarind, egg, tofu, bean sprout, pickled radish, shallot, chives, dried shrimp, fish sauce, fresh roasted peanuts, and lime. We opted for chicken for protein. This had a good balance of sweet, sour, spicy. We did choose a medium spice level, which is considered a 2 (out of 11!) on their spice scale. It was quite hot for us, so I would probably opt for mild next time. What can I say, we're wimps.

 

The khao soi ($21.75) reminded me so much of my mom's Vietnamese chicken curry soup. It was a base of golden curry with coconut milk, with egg noodles and crispy noodles on top. We decided to get tofu for the protein, which helped sop up the soup itself.

 

 

Our last dish ended up being my favourite of the night, the pad gra prao ($21.75). We chose beef (+$1.50) although chicken and pork is also quite common. The ground meat is stir fried with red bell pepper, onion, garlic, green chili, and the most important part of the dish, holy basil. It's served on top of rice and a crispy fried egg. This was aromatic with good wok hei. 

We're finally reaching the end of this Toronto series! I'm only 7 months behind. One day left! 

- CT 

SNAPSHOTS | TORONTO 2024 | DAY 3

 

Day 3 in Toronto was meant to be a chill day, where we do more sightseeing and shopping around downtown.

 

 

We opted for the hotel breakfast again this morning, our last buffet of the trip. Eggs, sausages, hashbrowns, yogurt, and a banana.

 

 

After breakfast, we made the trek over to Nathan Phillips Square. It's where the iconic Toronto sign resides with City Hall just behind.

 

We popped into Eaton Centre which is right next door to do a bit of shopping. Since Ontario has 13% sales tax, I wouldn't buy anything that we could find back home.

 

On our way to lunch, we exited the mall at the Yonge-Dundas intersection. Since I've been here last, they've opened up a Shake Shack!

 

As tempting as Shake Shack could be, we had lunch at Moon Palace, a Chinese restaurant that specializes in dim sum and Cantonese dishes.

 

We ordered quite a bit, starting with the deep fried crab balls and black truffle pork and shrimp dumplings. The black truffle was not too overpowering; it was a nice twist on the classic sui mai. The crab balls weren't really memorable but they came with a side of sweet chili sauce. 

 

 

The supreme shrimp rice noodle roll was nicely done. Very silky with snappy shrimp. The crispy egg noodles with whole lobster and mushrooms in supreme broth was the highlight dish. It was clean, crispy, and beautifully presented.

 

These dumplings looked very similar to har gao, but had lobster meat, shrimp, and asparagus. Very good.

 

We could've done without the pan fried chicken and shrimp dumplings only because we were really full at this point. These were hefty and meaty guys. But funny enough, the stomach always has room for dessert. These deep fried egg yolk sesame balls were a favourite around the table. It had a crispy mochi-like shell that encased a creamy lava filling.

A mandatory stop at MUJI next door. Their pens are popular but don't sleep on their yuzu candy.

We kept walking down Dundas, stopping in Marshalls & IKEA for a quick browse. Our last stop was Hitotoki Bakery, a Japanese bakery that specializes in tarts and milk bread.

We got the creme brulee almond tart ($6.50) which featured a flan like pudding on top of a frangipane blueberry base. I was really excited to try this but I thought it was just okay. It was not too sweet, but it was bland in a sense. The croissant pastry looked liked it had a lot of layers but it wasn't super flaky. I also think it was misleading to call it a creme brulee tart when there was no burnt sugar shell.  

We rested at the hotel for a bit before going out for dinner later that night. It was only supposed to be a 15 minute walk but we ended up being hit by a giant rainstorm. I did have an umbrella on me but even that wasn't enough to combat the heavy downpour. We ended up seeking shelter under a canopy and waited 20 minutes for the rain to die down.

 

Eventually it calmed down enough to walk the rest of the way, but we arrived at To-Ne Sushi soaking wet. The restaurant was half full and seemed like a cozy neighbourhood spot. They have an extensive menu that you order from via QR code.

 

Our first appetizer was the soft shell crab ($14.00), breaded and deep fried with ponzu sauce. These were fried nicely. Crispy but still tender.

 

We also love getting ikayaki ($13.00) whenever it's on a menu. This is grilled squid with teriyaki sauce. There was decent char flavour but the squid was a bit dry and chewy. 

For rolls, we got the salmon lover's roll ($15.00) and the sunshine roll ($12.00). The salmon lover's roll had salmon roe, scallion, torched salmon, with spicy salmon and avocado. The sunshine roll was a California roll with torched salmon and special sauce. Because both rolls were topped with torched salmon, they ended up tasting pretty similar to each other.    

 

 

Our final dish was the chicken teriyaki bento ($24.00). It came with miso soup, rice, salad, tempura, California roll, and chicken teriyaki. We loved the salad and tempura but were let down by the chicken teriyaki. A bit dry and tough. Chicken thighs would've been a better choice than chicken breast.

After we finished dinner, we ended up taking an Uber back to the hotel, not wanting to become trapped by another squall. It was a good thing we did.

 

- CT