No Foodie No Fry

When I travel to Toronto, I am usually remote working. But I took Monday off to avoid the bi-weekly planning meeting. I had no plans for my own leisure time but the overcast sky decided for me: I was staying inside my rental. To be honest, I still lacked the energy to wander around.

In the morning, I walked over to Uncle Sid's Deli. I guess word has gotten around as there were several people waiting for their breakfast orders. The $7.95 special was gone with the cheapest breakfast now going for $11.95. But there were breakfast wraps for $7.25.  Essentially, it was a greasy diner meal but rolled up in a small pita; mine was eggs, sausage, hash brown and cheese. These turned out to be tasty, filling, and surprisingly not messy.

For lunch, I noticed that Saigon Sandwiches at Bloor and Lansdowne has been replaced by Momo Heart. I wasn't surprised that Saigon folded as their take on modern/fusion Viet was poorly executed. I did eat Nepalese momos a few days ago but I am always willing to support a small business. This new Tibetan spot had a simple menu: a variety of momos and some rice dishes. I was pleasantly surprised that there were 3 plant-based options. I chose the vegan momos ($9.99) with the milder Momo Heart sauce and a coleslaw side. With 8 momos to my order, this was a good deal for the price. The freshly steamed dumplings were toothsome and tender. The cabbage, mushroom, and tofu stuffing tasted so familiar to me. Then I remembered that the veggie buns at BauZza BauZza had the same flavour. Sadly, the pandemic killed that Chinese eatery near College and Spadina.

The visit to my dentist still cost me 3 scaling units but at least it took more than 10 minutes. But health-wise, you don't want them to spend so much time cleaning your teeth. Afterward, I walked back to Lansdowne along Bloor. The condo development at Dufferin was at around 6 stories, but they still have dozens to go. I peeked inside Queen of Patties and saw that the proprietress was serving a customer instead of being buried in the back with orders. I grabbed a beef patty ($4.50) for a quick snack. The crust remained deliciously flaky but there was less filling.

After a few months, Island Hot and Spicy has changed owners. 9 Mile also served Jamaican food and despite electronic signage proclaiming long hours (they were open 24/7 Thursday through Saturday!), they didn't seem to have much foot traffic either. I stepped inside for a Jerk Chicken meal ($13.99). Both the rice and chicken were outstanding: moist, flavourful, with just a little kick. This was even better than Island and head-and-shoulders above Jerk King at Bloor and Dufferin. It still baffles me how the latter remain so busy (location, location, location). The only negative was that the slaw and the stew sauce were too sweet. Next time I would ask for less of both items.