Saturday Serials

Sunrise on Saturday was obscured by a light misty rain. But it was warmer than Friday which made my morning run more enjoyable. After passing through Little India and the neighbourhood beyond Coxwell, I circled back and stopped off at New Family diner. During my sublet in 2022, I came to this OG establishment for a chicken burger and also a steak. It was finally time to eat their breakfast. A sticker on the menu apologized that they had to raise prices by $1 due to rising cost. But nowadays, 3 eggs, sausage, and home fries for $9.95 was a steal. I skipped the complimentary coffee and the ladies, who have probably worked the counter for decades, forgot my toasts as everyone was engrossed with the latest Liam Neeson action flick on the TV.

I thought about seeing the new Dune 2 because, in all things, The Big Smoke had amenities that Ottawa lacked. In this case, it was a 70mm movie theatre at Varsity cinema at Bay and Bloor. There was even a 70mm Imax but that was quite the trek up to Vaughan. But the logistics of a 3 hour screening didn't work out: before lunch and I'd be famished, later in the afternoon and it would affect my evening plans.

Instead, I decided to visit the best pizza shop in the city for lunch. It has been a year since I've been to Fresca. I was glad the owner was there; age might have made them take week-ends off. The wife was at home because she was relaxing on her birthday. Then she was off to Vietnam for a month to see family. The husband looked more invigorated than last time, but there was still no one to pass on the business. So the eventual demise of Toronto-style pizza was still a likely outcome.

During our chat, the store filled up with customers. We were all waiting for the first batch of per-slice pizzas to come out of the oven. Most were regulars but there was one bemused newcomer, an American by way of Edmonton. In town on a family vacation, he was lured in by the online reviews. He made a slight error in ordering a small pizza. But once he saw everyone grabbing the large slices ($4.50) and adding the garlic scallion oil, he also got one to go. I'm certain we have a new convert on our hand.

I wracked my brain for an alternative to Bhojan Ghar for dinner because I had an early show in the evening. I then realized that from Fresca I could take the College streetcar heading back East. I'd be able to stop off at the new Pakistani take-out near Greenwood and grab something for later. It turned out that their chicken Biryani ($7.99) portion was huge, easily big enough for 2-3 meals.

I also stopped by one of the new hopefuls. Teako offered loose-leaf tea latte, breakfast items like scones and sandwiches, and a variety of filipino dishes. While I was waiting for my coconut oolong milk tea latte ($5.99), I talked to the proprietors. They've been here since 2021 but I didn't notice during my sublet because Teako didn't have a storefront for walk-ins until last July.

Will these new businesses stick around until I could get that old sublet again? Street Sizzlers, BeadWorks, Doodle's Market, Lahore Tikka House, and Mumbai Frankie were dead or on life-support. Frankie ("Irani cafe with a twist") was still under renovation when my short-term rental ended. Yet it was already boarded up again and "under new management" less than 2 years later.