What's Old Is New Again

I visited various regular haunts over several days. It was a good corned beef sandwich but  I didn't know why Mr. Siddique's family turned Vena's Roti into Uncle Sid's Deli. I returned on Monday to try the one item that was a tribute to the old owner: an omelette stuffed with masala chicken, red onions, and green chilis ($12.95). While waiting, I noticed a fair number of customers dropping in for a soda and a smoked meat sandwich. The omelette, with fries toast, was good. Similar to masala fries from their neighbour Dosa Mahal.

It was only after asking about the OG Ms. Pacman console that I found out: 1. many people asked about that cabinet and 2. the new owner was Mr. Siddique's son-in-law. He didn't know anything about the roti business but did run a deli for several decades (along with Mr. Siddiqi for a few years). His wife didn't want to sell the building so they decided to give this deli thing a try again. As for that video game cabinet, one of the contractors was allowed to keep it when they did the renovation.

Though I enjoyed Badiali's pizza, I realized I needed to go to Fresca for my Toronto-style pizza. I went by on Thursday, but with the return of the school year, there was a long line-up of tradespeople and young teens waiting for those oily but oh-so-fragrantly-tasty slices. I ended up at The Urban Herbivore for lunch instead. With fancier plant-based options nowadays, I forgot this place still offer substantial salad bowls at reasonable prices. For several years, I used to go to their now-defunct Dovercourt location after every Sunday yoga class at the YMCA.

I did return to Fresca on Friday, making sure to get there just a little bit before lunch. By the time I finished chatting with them, the influx was perhaps even bigger than previously. With their daughter no longer helping out, if I knew anything about food and retail service, I'd ask to help out with the cash register in exchange for teaching me how to make those pizzas. I headed up Robert St. to a new bakery at Spadina but they weren't open today. Heading home, I passed by Ba Noi and was finally able to snag one of their "char siu" bun. I was pretty disappointed though. Stuffing a baked bread bun is a great idea; the crispy crust was a nice difference from the soft bao. But the meat was over-salted and I had a hard time finishing the snack.