Meater-less Child

On Saturday, I prepared to visit an early Lunar New Year Celebration near the Pearson airport. With my experience from last year, I knew that travelling to the location via Lawrence West station was a better option than using the UP airport express. The forecast also called for a snowstorm just like the previous year. This route would take me past a vegan eatery I have wanted to visit. So in case my travel got too arduous, I could always choose plan B.

The day was calm when I left my home. But by the time I reached Lawrence West by subway the wind had picked up and flurries have started. As I sat on the 52 bus making my way across Lawrence, things were looking grim, and there was still another 30 minutes to go. So as Black Creek Drive came into view, I decided to spend today at Mama Tofu instead. It was a good choice because after my hour at this strip mall, the snow was piling up ankle-high and the wind blasted heavy flakes into my face.

First, I got some groceries at the Superking Supermarket next door. I was pleasantly surprised by its spaciousness and produce selection. As I paid for my groceries, I was confronted with a first in all my time in Toronto: a photo gallery of "banned thieves".

Mama Tofu is a tiny Vietnamese vegan spot. Most of its business was likely take-out of prepared food since there were only 4 small tables along the wall. But they also had made-to-order entrees including pho. I opted to have some fried noodles ($10) for lunch and a few to-go dishes including spring rolls (4 for $1), tofu with stir-fried pickled mustard green ($9) and some lemongrass chicken ($2.50).

The noodles were fried crunchy before it was piled with veggies, tofu, and sauce. The sauce softened the noodles so you had the choice of eating crunchy, soft, or somewhere in between, depending on how much noodles you want to mix into the sauce. The various tofu approximated different meat flavour including a mild take on liver. This was no-fuss, "home" cooking without pretense.