Play That Punky Music

Finally up around 8 pm from a semi-doze, probably caused by a mild heatstroke, I walked to Little Italy to see some new bands ($14 online). Along the way, I wondered why I enjoyed walking in Toronto at that moment and also earlier in the day. First, the cars were relatively "quieter" because of the lower speed limits. But the "variety" of noise: construction, people, and so on were somehow less grating than the constant hum of speeding cars. When you want a bit of peace and quiet, you can turn onto a less busy street (like I did several times). Unlike the more-or-less grid layout of Toronto, Ottawa had no such alternatives unless you take a significant detour through its meandering suburban roads.

I entered The Monarch Tavern (last visited in 2021 just before my departure) as Spirit Desire was already into their first song. I can no longer fault Dan Burke and his perennially late shows. My last one also started at a reasonable time. The band played a garage-punk style (Sweater Song part 2) with a bit of sweetness (Bug Song). They were noisier than on bandcamp with the main vocal duties taken over by the bassist. Since the original singer was also a woman, I didn't know if that changed the dynamics of the set. Spirit Desire was a fun act to start the evening.

In my opinion, Gossamer Blue was mostly carried by its bassist and drummer. Its noisy shoegaze plus sad-sack indie vibe would have palled quickly for me. But the muscular and almost funky rhythm section kept my interest. It also got some head-banging from the crowd.

I didn't stay for headliner Kali Horse since I was off for a late dinner. Throughout the evening, I wondered how the scruffy young crowd were making it in Toronto. Did they live at home, or out on the edge in Scarborough and Etobicoke, or perhaps sharing a "well-loved" downtown apartment with 4 roommates?

Most restaurants were closing up but I knew that Pho Hanoi near College and Brunswick was opened (from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m.). This was a second venture of a friend of a friend. Their late-night hours was a hit in Mississauga with shift workers and club kids. I've been asked to visit the new location but I wanted to drop by without the awkwardness of being an invited guest.

The restaurant had only 1 occupied table when I arrived at 11 p.m. But from the constant influx of food delivery workers, Pho Hanoi did brisk business with take-out. Throughout my stay, it slowly filled with locals and university students. Probably the crowd from nearby Nest dance club and Sneaky Dee's will show up in the wee hours.

Pho Hanoi's hours was a good strategy because I don't think it can compete with nearby competitors like Isshin Ramen. My medium pho ($14.95) was big and had a lot of noodles and beef. When you add the sides like basil and bean sprouts, it was definitely a filling meal. But the broth lacked richness and the meat was bland. This sort of ubiquitous and pedestrian pho has been eclipsed by most ramen shops. Oddly enough, the owners didn't think much Ca Phe Rang, which blew me away with its flavour.