D'oh!

Saturday morning, I did an early grocery run and stopped off at Dough Re Mi around 9. This new bakery occupied the location of long-time convenience store (Mac's) and the briefer Pit Stop. Renovation on the place started around the time of my winter sublet yet they did not open until this week. The inside was somewhere between a trendy cafe and a Middle-Eastern diner with its rattan seats and domed oven. Unfortunately, the food was no better than store-bought. The croissant ($5) – they took $2 off the final tally – was obviously a day-old. But its solid interior meant it lacked the layers of a quality croissant. So a new one wouldn't improve by much. The apple danish ($5.75) suffered the same faults. I saw a baker starting to place items into the oven. A self-described bakery (and coffee shop) should not open without freshly made items. I might return to try the manakeesh, but DRM was DOA for me.

At lunch time, married friends came by to drive me to La Bonita. I haven't been to Mexican joint since my second visit with my mom several years ago. My friends' picky teenager was off at a cottage with our mutual friends. There will be 7 teens celebrating the last week of summer. Our talk first turned to our parents who were entering their "slow-go" years. His mother had more health problems than mine while her father was in better shape but was now too old for the long trips back to the old country.

Then I asked them if they were considering early retirement to maximize their "go-go" years. Since she didn't have a pension, he was contemplating another decade (if I read between the lines correctly). I said they might want to sit down and actually put some hard numbers on their assets instead of just "vibes". With savings, a pension already approaching 30-years of service, and a paid-off house, their anxiety might be unfounded. As for my own future, it was already doable for Ottawa. But if I wanted to head back to Toronto (with its fun times but high rent), along with some big-ticket item like life insurance premiums and covering some my mom's expenses, it was closer to 7 years. I did not mention other reasons to return to The Big Smoke.

Inflation was one of the factor contributing to the anxiety. Case in point, our lunch of 3 dishes (nacho appetizers, chicken enchilada, and beef quesabirria) came to $133 (with tax and tip). The upside was the large portion size. There was so much food that I was still full by dinner-time. The downside wasn't just the price but that only the quesabirria was above average. The next time they crave Mexican in this part of town, I will suggest Aztec Taco.

Remember The Time

On Saturday, I visited another take-out at Montreal Rd and St. Laurent. Grilled (with a shawarma spit for the I) offered the ubiquitous Middle-Eastern fare. This new location will have to compete with Sham Shawarma and Malak Al Tawouk on the same block. At $14.30 ($11.50 + tax and tips), this wasn't a cheap wrap. The beef was tasty but like defunct Pit Stop, they used a small pita. So I was still peckish after my lunch. I often say that Ottawa restaurants have smaller portions and higher prices. Laziza in Toronto, my go-to Sharwarma spot in Bloorcourt, has a large (probably 30-40% bigger) wrap for $10.99. Even more starkly, their vegetarian platter was only $14.99 (up from $8.99 a decade ago) compared to Grilled's plate at $23.20. I can guarantee it will be larger too.

On Sunday, I took a trip across town to my youngest uncle's house. The last time was on the day that my grandma passed. The front yard was covered with hydrangeas; he said that they were planted because the tulips stopped budding after she was gone. The extended family was gathering on the 1-year anniversary of her death with a pot-luck spread of noodles, BBQ pork, and various rolls. I didn't get a chance to interact much with my younger cousins and their toddlers. One of them had attended her brother-in-law's wedding the night before at The Rainbow Bistro, a bar and music venue in the Byward Market. The officiant was dressed at Death from the movie Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and there was a live band. This sounded more exciting than my last wedding.

My brother was in China a few weeks ago. His family, especially the teen daughters, enjoyed the varied experience there: cultured (Beijing), chic (Shanghai), hi-tech (Shenzhen), and trendy (Hong Kong). The highlight of the trip was a visit to a less touristy section of the Great Wall of China. The 2.5 hours taxi ride was worth it to climb the wall, grab food a local vendor, and contemplate the vista from a tower while sipping a beer. I mentioned that I was thinking of buying an older condo for mom and I. Our new rental unit had problems (leaky faucet, leaky fridge, and more) that were not repaired despite work orders from us. We both agreed that a mortgage this late in the game would make it difficult for me to retire early.

Everyone was there except for my cousin in Vancouver. But they had a "good excuse" since they were getting married that same day. It was strictly friends though because neither side of the family could fly to the West Coast. But there will be one (or probably two) additional receptions back here later on.

On the way home, I reflected privately that there were two other reasons buying a condo was an iffy proposition. First, if my mom's support for The Orange One and conservative viewpoints increase, I might not be able to live with her anymore. Second, I could not support a mortgage and an apartment in Toronto. And with my recent sublets, I want to be back in the Big Smoke before my neighbourhood gentrified completely.

Winner Winner Chicken Dîner?

In the last 3 weeks, I went for lunch twice at a new Lebanese fast-casual restaurant near Montreal Rd and St. Laurent Boulevard. Malak Al Tawouk replaced an old location of the Circle-K convenience store. Apparently, it was a franchise that started in Lebanon in the 90s. Inside the 3rd location in Canada, you ordered from a counter situated in front of the open, glass-enclosed kitchen. The remaining space had two rows of hard-tops and 4 banquettes for larger groups. On my second visit, the beige-ish seats were already starting to stain.

I dropped by about three Wednesdays ago and looked over the menu. True to their name, Malak mostly offered grilled chicken as a "shawarma sandwich" or a platter. There were also 1 burger item and fries as a side. I opted for the classic platter ($20.99) which consisted of several, tender chicken pieces, pickles, slaw, and pita. It also came with fries. It was a fragrant meal with more than enough for leftovers.

On Saturday, I came back for the a regular sandwich ($13.99) and upgraded to a combo ($5.50). Showing their French colonial past, the drink and fries add-on was listed as a "trio". The second time wasn't quite as satisfying. The fries were still excellent (golden and crispy) and the wrap started out fine. In fact, the lightly grilled pita gave a nice crunch. My mom had skipped the first leftovers because she thought all  chicken breast dishes were dry. She had a point as the sandwich turned into a slog to finish.

Overall, the platter was the better meal. It was only $1 extra compared to the combo and you got more chicken. The dryness of the chicken was better balanced by the pickles and slaw. But with both coming in at $26.09 and $24.22 with tax and tip, the price was too pricey for me as a lunch option.

Gnarly Semones

I stay home in Ottawa because travelling to venues was an ordeal. But the show ($25) on Monday was  downtown and should only take 30 minutes on transit. I arrived at Club Saw about 15 minutes after doors. The space was full with young folks pressed up right against the stage.

Opener Jahmeema, accompanied by her beau Matt Evans on keys, was a bit jazz-pop and a bit R'n'B. Still quite young at 25, she played new songs (some were written this year) and older ones that she wrote at 17. How were her prospects? After nearly a decade of performing in in a small, local scene, I don't see any big breaks. Her music lacked the catchy hooks and melodies of pop and her lyrics were too wordy for the genre. But the verses didn't have the clever wordplay and flow of good R'n'B. I wonder how her French songs compared.

This was Mei Semones first ever show in Ottawa on her way to the larger Montreal JazzFest. But she already had a large fan-base here. I saw her KEXP show on Youtube and was impressed by the band's virtuosity including her speedy guitar riffs. Like Laufey, Semones drew inspiration from Bossa Nova, but she amped it up with muscular bass and drums, segueing into head-banging (light) rock, and added a touch of chamber pop. This was especially true near the end of her set with the early "hits". The middle third, when Semones showcased almost 15 minutes of new material, was more experimental. My only complaint (as I am a sucker for catchy tunes or driving rhythms), was that the music seemed to change every 8 bars. This gave variety and was interesting for a few songs. But over the course of an hour, this tendency was both too random and yet also boringly repetitive. If Semones (and her band) channeled their talent on more cohesive compositions, I'd be on board.