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.