Fill The Tea

The sunset was beautiful on Thursday so I followed it westward to Chinatown East at Gerrard and Broadview. I thought about ramen but realized I already had the instant version for lunch. Instead, I stepped inside a store at the corner with several signage outside. They weren't remnants of old businesses though. Inside there were actually 2 restaurants (3 if you're picky). But this wasn't a ghost kitchen set-up. It seems like the owners were managing multiple businesses. So from Dac Hoa (Tom's Kitchen), I chose the Veggie Fried Rice ($8.45). And from Boba Boy, it was a Grass Jelly Milk Tea ($5.29) with tapioca pearls ($0.60). They also had a display rack of macaron and French desserts from Rahier.

I took my meal over to Hubbard Park near the heritage Don Jail building and the Bridgepoint Health hospital. The fading sun painted everything golden but the rice had its own glow. I wonder where the colouring came from since the dish didn't taste like curry or cumin. It was scrumptious but let's be honest, that was because of the oil coating every grain. Dac Hoa might have sported that minimalist Scandi look of modern Asian joints but its fried rice (and the rest of the menu) was old-school Chinese take-out. I also enjoyed the bubble tea as it has been awhile since I've ordered one. It was hard to get at the grass jelly through the drinking straw so I finally removed the sealed lid.

On the way back, I went along Victor Avenue. The houses along here were large and well-maintained and the street had tall, mature trees. I have noticed that despite the East Side's reputation as the cheaper, less desirable part of Toronto, I've seen roads that sported nicer homes than the West End.