That Was Thirty Years Ago

On Sunday, a friend wanted to go for breakfast at Tamis Cafe. Sadly, that filipino restaurant has shuttered last December after 9 years. It just shows how rarely Ottawans go out because none of us knew about the closure. But there was another filipino spot in Chinatown on Somerset.

I arrived about 30 minutes before Lola's Kitchen opened. So I stepped inside Ten Toes (Coffee House and Laundry) to get some tea and wait. I don't go to these gentrified businesses but it was a cold, breezy morning. With its eclectic tables and mismatched sofas, there were quite a few folks inside for the boho vibe.

Lola's was a tight space and we ended up on a narrow 2nd level (practically a ledge) where they had squeezed in 3 tables. We debriefed each other about the odd situation a few months back. It turned out that for this Christmas, instead of a frenetic trip to Japan, my friend was taking her family to a resort in Mexico. Although after about 4 days at these places, she'll start getting restless. Travel for dance competition for her daughter will pick up again in a few months. I had no idea that these showcases can last up to 6 days (another kind of "going bonkers from boredom" trip). I told her that my own "vacation" will be spending thousands of dollars to sublet in Toronto in the new year.

As for the meal, I chose the chicken adobo ($22) with a garlic rice add-on ($3) and she opted for something similar but with beef or tapsilog ($23). The waitress originally forgot our complimentary soup which was welcoming for today. There was a good amount of rice but only a few slices of plaintain. The chicken was a tender but a bit too salty. Also, for over $32 with tax and tip, I want big chunks of chicken not small pieces with bone. Once again, a better meal can be had in Toronto for 33% cheaper ($8 less). Eating out in Chinatown used to be cheaper but that time was long past.

Turkish Delight

Friday morning, I arrived at my office around 10:30 since I was officially on vacation and only here for the Christmas lunch. But compared to the May visit, when everyone was in to meet with people from the new parent company, the place was empty. There was one salesperson troubleshooting for a corporate client. It turned out most people would be heading straight to the restaurant from home. This was one reason why some folks questioned why we signed another lease instead of downsizing to a smaller location because everyone worked remotely.

Mangal Kebab House was a large restaurant in a strip mall near Warden and Ellesmere. Given there were 10 of us, we ordered a large platter ($155) and a smaller one ($80) of grilled meat called Karışık Izgara. There were also a spinach pide called Ispanakli ($20), a Sucuklu or sausage pide ($23), and Karides Tava which was a plate of pan-fried shrimp ($28). It was a tasty and very full lunch though the flavour wasn't exceptional. The grilled meat wasn't better than Laheeb in Ottawa and the pide were worse than Pizza Pide.

It was nice catching up to people I haven't seen in person for a few years, and to meet new employees. One talked about their son graduating from university; having adult children when they were only in their early 40s seemed like a throwback to the last century. Another was back in town visiting family after moving to the U.S. a month ago. They had recently divorced (I was surprised finding out in May that they were married given their young age) and it was the spouse who wanted to relocate to Colorado. They decided to go ahead with the move anyway, not just for a fresh start but they were also an avid camper and skier. 

I got a lift back to my rental from a new hire. It turned out they grew up near the restaurant in the Victoria Park area but currently lived in Ottawa. If they pass the probationary period, they planned on moving to Calgary. First, Ottawa wasn't much cheaper than Toronto. Second, their parents were already in Edmonton for the same cost-saving reason. Finally, their friends have all left Toronto either to save money (Montreal) or to pursue acting careers (L.A., NYC).

Whether it was their young age or passion but they were keener than I am about technology. Outside of work, they collaborated on numerous side projects including game development, malware detection, and a verification platform for landlord and tenant. I told them they might have to look into disclosing these work to prevent the company from claiming ownership through their employee contract.

Upon arrival at my airBnB, they asked me if we were in Etobicoke because of the nice houses. I remembered that given the size of Toronto, some people have never ventured much into the West-end (or East-end). Gritty Bloordale was very different from the lawn and bungalow of Etobicoke.

Are Remakes Any Good?

Thursday was sunshine for most of the day. I took advantage and went to Dufferin Mall to finish Christmas shopping. My nieces were into Bubble Tea (to their parents' chagrin) and an Asian store might have some Boba-themed merchandise. That one has closed but there was a new one called Miniso. I bought some puzzles and Japanese snacks ($54.23) as gifts since they went to Japan earlier this year. I stopped at OMG Tapas on Dovercourt for lunch. I have been meaning to visit for 2 reasons: I saw on social media that they had vegetarian versions of Brazilian and Portuguese dishes which are typically meat-heavy cuisines. Two, I wanted the neighbourhood to keep its roots even if new establishments have to be trendier.

Unfortunately, there were barely any non-meat items on the menu and trendiness meant higher prices. When I saw $16 for codfish patties (to be fair there were 6), I flashed back to getting them for a $1.50 at Nova Era. They might still be cheap at Tavora. The rest of the dishes were between $20-30 so I opted for the Oh Bla ($18) brunch item. From the description, I thought it would be a breakfast spread (bacon, eggs) with some Pão de queijo (tapioca flour cheese rolls) instead of regular toast. What I got was a small tapioca waffle sandwich with a bit of bacon, eggs, avocado, and arugula. It was tasty enough but finished in only few bites. With tax and tip, I wondered if I could get over the sticker shock (and the $10 threshold) by pretending I was converting from Euros since €10 would be a cheap meal overseas. In any case, I needed a beef patty ($4.50) from Caribbean Queen.

Last week, on my way to Acute Pizza, I noticed that Khaose was no more. In its place, Teany Thai touted a small selection of dishes. So I went there for dinner and commiserated with the owner, a young man who lamented the paucity of orders. I chose the pineapple fried rice with shrimp ($18.95) and, as if I was an food influencer, took some videos to hype up the spot. Unfortunately, the rice was oily and lacked wok hei. I didn't mind that he mixed up chicken for the shrimp, but the heavily gristled pieces wouldn't go over well with many customers. I did not post those short clips.

In the evening, I went to The Burdock to see Dickson Bonfield and Screenagers. It was yet another show of older musicians filled with mostly family and neighbours. Tonight, that also meant a gaggle of teens perhaps at their first "bar show". I don't think there's any pay-to-play shadiness, but pre-pandemic bookings were different at this venue. The twangy blues/rock of Bonfield, both their covers and original tunes, felt a bit dated with the ubiquitous guitar solos. Screenagers whose oeuvre was TV and movie songs was more fun. These were not straight covers but a starting point to riff on whether theme songs (Sesame Street, Inspector Gadget, Night Court) or soundtrack (She's a Maniac, Neutron Dance). The first set ended with a high-energy Movin' On Up. More funkified nostalgia was promised for the 2nd set but it was past my bedtime. Screenagers was good but not stay-up-late good.

Death Be Not Loud

After decompressing at my rental after my trip, I headed to Parkdale for dinner and a show.  Every now and then I have come to the area for a concert, Caribbean food, or momos and other Tibetan fare. But the visits were few and sporadic so I don't really consider the neighbourhood to be part of my Toronto foot-print. Its most significant impact on my life was that a decade ago, I accepted a job offer at my company over some beer.

Parkdale wasn't too busy on a Wednesday night. Despite gentrification, there were still a good number of local stores. Dinner was a slice of vegetarian pizza ($5.31) and a root beer ($1.63) from Cici's Pizza & Wings. I saw on social media that this take-out was profiled by the local newspaper because a young lady took over her parent's business to preserve a neighbourhood institution. I was hoping that since they were Vietnamese it was Toronto-style pizza (invented by Vietnamese folks) such as at Fresca. But it was your average soft-crust pie found at other old-timer places like Bitondo.

Next door was a small bar called Three Dollar Bill. There was a trio of performers for a PWYC Queer Folk Night. First up was Eli Howey although his set wasn't really folk. He mostly adapted songs from his punk band Little Window for the night. There were some sad lyrics but things really got depressing when Jordaan Mason came on. Shocked by the sudden death of an ex (of a decade ago), they poured all their ruminations and feelings into what were barely songs. I simply mean that lyrics were closer to a torrent of free verse and the chords were there to provide just the outline of some structure.

Tireless Foliage was the trio of Jiaqing Wilson-Yang, Germaine Liu, and Karen Ng. Wilson-Yang has written songs to process the death of her friend Richard Laviolette. The lyrics were more straightforward but each number evoked striking images. Perhaps the most potent was the closer "Chorus of Mothers". The idea that Laviolette was not only beloved by his friends but also by their parents such that they'd sing him to his final rest got a few eyes teary. Restricted by the tiny stage, Liu somehow generated a wide variety of percussion sounds with just a tom, a snare, and a cymbal sitting precariously either on top of the tom or in her hand. Ng provided expressive sax runs that interweaved with Wilson-Yang's delicate guitar picking. This was wonderful, cathartic music and I'm glad Wilson-Yang was in the process of recording these songs.

I Choo Choose You, I Choo Choose You Not

On Wednesday, I was heading back to Toronto though I was also there last week. The new parent company offered 3 days of paid travel for remote employees to go to the closest office Holiday party. Similar to my trip in May, I took advantage of the reimbursement but this time I took the train from Ottawa.

It has been almost 3 years since I rode the tracks and more than 15 years since I stayed in Business class. Via Rail had recently revamped their cars. I don't know what it's like in economy but up here it meant large, leather seats, (faux?) blonde wood panels, and multiple electric outlets. Best of all was the leg room and the modern toilet. The downside was the chatty business folks who preferred to be productive instead of just chilling out. Morning perks included pretzel nut mix and booze. For the all-inclusive lunch, along with white wine, I chose the salmon from a list that also had vegetarian chow mein and tandoori chicken curry. The salmon was reasonably tasty, sitting on a bed of pilaf rice and saute brussel sprouts which were good but not on quite the level of Lynn Crawford. It also came with a peach and cranberry coleslaw and a lemon square dessert. Post-meal had more alcohol (I opted for orange juice) and chocolate truffle. Business class might be 7 times more than my bus ride ($218 vs $29) but an economy ticket on the train wasn't cheap. So I don't know why company nickel-and-dime on these low-cost perks. Given how much people love free stuff, similar offerings for the "hoi polloi" instead of an over-priced snack menu would build much loyalty.

But the main reason I picked the rail was to avoid traffic on the highway. The last few times I was delayed for an hour arriving back in Ottawa. Unfortunately, the train came into Union station 40 minutes late. It was stuck behind another passenger train and then 2 freight trains. This trip made me realized I should also stick to planned itineraries. For the commute to the Ottawa station and the one from Union to my rental, I had mapped out the route with known timetables. On a whim, I deviated from both at the last minute and neither worked out. In the first case, I would have been late if I had not found an idling taxi nearby (a rarity in Ottawa). In the second, an emergency in the subway caused us to sit idling for a long while.

 21/12/2025: The return trip on Saturday was also late by 20 minutes because of a freight train. Lunch was fish cake with fingerling potatoes and asparagus, a green bean salad, and a caramel brownie. 

Live and Let Fly

The last time I went to Toronto specifically for a concert was a hit-and-miss U.S. Girls show. On Friday, I was at another, though I did combine other activities like a dental visit and Christmas shopping. Well, the $20 concert at the Baby G was absolutely terrific.

Except for old-timers like me, every 5 years or so I notice a new, young crowd at small venues. But they all seem to always like being fashionably late. So Baby G was still empty at 9 and around half-full at 9:45. There was a smattering of older folks who were here because they had read about the circumstances surrounding the headliner's latest album. The opener was poet Aisha Sasha John who started with new poems (some written only in the last few weeks) about dementia and meditation but eventually concentrated on her recently published collection called Total. At these events, you usually hear the typical cadence of word poetry. But Aisha's free-form verses lent themselves to natural speech. Still, I wasn't sure if the up-speak rhythm was deliberate or an affectation.

Carly Bezic was fun as the duo Ice Cream but she really hit her stride being the art-pop solo act Jane Inc. She was also terrific on bass/vocals of the female incarnation of the U.S. Girls tour band for 2020. It was on a 2023 tour with U.S. Girls as the opener that was a catalyst for the new album A Rupture A Canyon A Birth. Bezic's van was rear-ended by a semi. Then followed operations for cancer on her vocal cords, diagnosis of Crohn's disease, and the break-up of 10-year relationship.

The album, which was Jane Inc.'s entire set, wasn't a sombre reflection on the fleeting randomness of life, though there were pensive lyrics. It was a celebration of second chances. Bezic shedded all high-concept aesthetic for danceable bangers starting with reborn (On The Dancefloor) followed by tracks like elastic, freefall and i'm alive!!! When she picked up her guitar half-way through, some art-pop vibes did appear. If the modern musical scene wasn't fragmented, Bezic's closer "what if" with its thumping piano and repeating refrain "I! want! more!" deserve to be a radio hit. When a capacity crowd in Toronto actually danced through your set, you got some great songs.

Jane Inc's new music would go so hard with a full band. Yet I appreciated that it was mostly pre-recorded tracks and live synth from Bezic's co-producer (and new partner) Edwin de Goeij and backing vocals from Felicity Williams and Dorothea Paas. With no amps on stage to muddy the sound, this was one of the clearest-sounding show I've been too. For such a great evening, I shelled out $60 for the new vinyl and a t-shirt.

Wheat Thicks

Our omnivorous nature let us eat wheat (or its ancestors). Though some of us have problems like gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, we have developed so many tasty food based on it. On Friday, I ate two such items.

Around 12 pm, I headed to a stretch of stores a block from North York Centre. These holdouts are slowly being consumed by newer commercial buildings and condos. It is also happening to some downtown streets like Yonge or King so I wonder when it will spread throughout older neighbourhoods like Bloorcourt beyond just the intersections. I was looking for General An Potsticker, located inside a modest "food hall" (think food court without the mall). I saw a post about it having better Xi'an noodles than in Xi'an China itself due to the quality of Canadian wheat. The video only had a few thousand views when it came across my feed but it has since garnered several million across social media. So despite 15-minutes from opening, a line-up formed behind me. Some of the other curious seekers included a student from Earl Haig skipping school and a lady with luggage in tow. Apparently, they had sold out yesterday by 1:30 pm (only 35 portions for lunch) and she was determined to get her noodles this time round.

 I don't usually chase trends, but yes, I did pick An for the claims. However, it was also a closer commute for a co-worker. She limped in about 5 minutes before opening hours so I asked her to just grab us some seats at a Formica table. She had just come back from vacation in China. It turned out that she wasn't the only person laid-off in September after the company take-over; 3 others were let go even the founder's nepo-baby. The China trip was partly for fun (a tour in Shanghai) but also for serious reasons. Her husband had misaligned vertebral discs which improved after receiving traditional adjustment techniques. She herself had back and sciatica pains, hence the limp. I asked her since she was in her early 60s, why not retire back in China for the cheaper living and health care? She wasn't in the retirement mindset yet and they were also worried about their adult children who were struggling to get financial and employment stability.

As for the food, I ordered beef and chives potstickers ($7.99), a regular Youpo Mian bowl ($11.99) and a three-topping Youpo Mian ($14.99). The toppings and chili oil were alright but not memorable. But the hand-made noodles and dumplings were wonderfully toothsome with excellent chew. As Chinese noodles were usually a miss for me, this was a definite win.

Since I was still full from those lasagna-sized noodles, dinner was a slice of pizza from Acute Pizza at Dundas and Lansdowne. This shop took over from Yummy Pizza which was there for a decade. I admit I've passed by Yummy many times without going in because for cheap, modest pizzerias, I already had Fresca and a few others. But for Acute, it looks like taking a (NY style) page from Badiali has made it a success with the neighbourhood. The joint was hopping with lots of delivery and pick-up. Unfortunately, that meant they were too busy to keep their per-slice offerings topped up except for a solitary Margherita piece. Using sourdough gave it a slight tangy base and lots of chew. But the $5.25 slice was not even half the portion from Fresca or 241 pizza. So I'm sticking to the OG places until they close up shop.

Hearth and Home

In the early morning of Thursday, I headed out of my rental to get breakfast. I met a German tourist coming out of the unit across from me. His noiseless presence made sense when I found out that he was in Guelph visiting friends. The puzzle was the babbling of a toddler in the 2 bedroom-suite on the first floor. Although I hear some people coming and leaving, the baby stayed inside at all hours. Who rents an airBnB with a tiny child (that doesn't go anywhere)? While waiting for my breakfast wrap ($7.75) at Uncle Sid's, I noticed that they have expanded their menu. I don't know if business is good or bad with posters advertised $5 ham sandwich, the same price for an assorted pie slices, as well as dinner options including turkey and beef brisket.

Around noon, I decided to do some Christmas shopping along College St like previous years. A while back I told my cousins that I was only getting gifts for their kids as they themselves were full-grown. But I still buy for them even though the knick-knacks often come from a single location. Still, there was some thought behind the gifts as opposed to the Tim Horton's mug or an Indigo gift card I usually receive. I found chili oil ($13) and sweet olive oil ($38) from Pasta Forever on Dundas. The stretch of shops near Pho Linh only yielded peanut butter treats ($11.99) and beef sticks ($9.99) at Critter Pet Outpost. Archi Element seemed like a nice tea shop (complete with green tea ceremony) that also carried hand-made pottery wares from various artists. But a tiny cup started at $60 and things only got pricier. Finally, near the Ossington intersection, I got a leather wallet ($40) from After Hours, a small indigenous-own shop, educational toys ($89.95) from Jill and The Beanstalk, and small goods ($65.15) from Ziggy's At Home.

I didn't carry my Christmas haul back to the rental though, but hopped on a bus heading north. I was meeting an acquaintance I last ran into around 2019 as I was on my way to my yoga training. We knew each other from the early 2010s when we practiced together at a boutique studio on St. Clair. It wasn't just to confab, but to also check out her sublet.

Her parents moved to Toronto a long time ago and as such, owned a few small buildings typically with a store on the ground and apartments on the 2nd floor. But this sublet unit spent most of its life as a garage or storage unit (according to Google Photos). Unlike her family members who have all moved to fancier neighbourhoods, she stayed and turned it into a Japanese-like tiny home complete with Murphy bed and Tatami mats. Since she now lived with her partner, it was available for a short-term stay.

Although further North, it was still in my old neighbourhood and a 10-minute walk to busy Bloor St. There were a few stores nearby that could become regular haunts even if local businesses like the cobbler of her youth were long-gone. The unit was rebuilt with nice features: heated floor, magnetically-latched cabinets, and the aforementioned Tatami mats. I was iffy about the secondary loft since it was only 4 feet from the ceiling. With no room to even stand, you'd have to scootch on your butt to get into the double bed. But if I wanted room to practice on the mats, I'd have to push in that Murphy bed and use the loft.

The sticking point was the $2100/month rental price. I know this was the typical going rate in Toronto nowadays and cheaper alternatives had their minuses. Still, when you factor in other daily costs, this was approaching $3000-3500 extra on top of the Ottawa living expenses that I share with my Mom. But I decided to take the unit for several reasons.

First, since we sort-of knew each other, she wasn't going to require that I provide pay stubs, credit reports, and so on. I have always found this "invasion of privacy" irksome. My previous rentals in Toronto (spanning several decades) were agreed upon with a firm handshake. Second, I did receive a small windfall this year and should do more than just hoard money. Finally, I will treat the $10-12K price tag (for the next 3-4 months) as an extended vacation. After all, I have claimed that I'd rather be in Toronto than travelling to anywhere else. But I'm still going to track the sh*t out of my expenses because who doesn't love spreadsheets?

Has The Student Become The Teacher

Wednesday was a messy day. An overnight snowfall had blanketed the ground, but as the morning progressed, the warmer temperature and rain turned all that snow into slush and melted puddles. When I made my way from my rental to Roll and Bowl for veggie bibimbap ($13.95), my shoes and socks were soaked through. Lunch wasn't as tasty as last time but was overcooked again. I didn't recognized the young server but on my way out, the regular owner came out. The former was either a younger sister or her daughter (I didn't ask) but apparently, the store's decorations (hand-fired teapots, ink drawings, etc.) were her handiwork. On Sunday, they were having a small Christmas market for her and her friends to sell their wares, along with some Korean snacks.

Later in the afternoon, I waited on the corner for the bus since I didn't want to risk more soggy sock by walking to the subway. This was a mistake since the 47 bus behaves like Ottawa transit. So it took 25 minutes (20-min wait, 5 min travel time) to get to the station. Luckily, the subway was fast enough that I made it to my yoga class at Coxwell. Compared to my 1st slow flow class, this vinyasa session was more effortful though nowhere near as vigorous as my old classes. I appreciated the instructor's clear instructions though I'm picking up on her cues and poses as most teachers have typical patter and sequences.

On my way back, I stopped off at College Park for two reasons. First, the Winners store here had better selection than other locations. I needed clean socks and new shoes. Second, it was time for more "high-end" food-court fare. Chef Saha wasn't there and they were out of Biryani (my first choice). I should have listened to my gut and deferred to another time. Instead, I opted for the Sag Paneer ($20). But Saha's replacements was not up to his standard. The spinach and cottage cheese curry was reasonably flavourful but the basmati was bland and somehow both dry and clumpy. Usually, there is delicious leftover but tonight, I ate as much as I could and threw out the rest.

Songs Unglued

With the world turned grey from snow and a cloudy sky, heading to Toronto on Tuesday felt like a chore. But once I walked through Union Station and absorbed the get-up-and-go vibe of the crowd, so rarely found in Ottawa, I was energized.

My trip to the dentist was rough, even though my last visit was only 3 months back. It boded ill for the state of my teeth despite my diligence. Afterwards, I inhaled a chicken roti ($16.95) at Pam's Roti. Odd that I could eat a dinner twice the size of my typical meal in Ottawa. I was happy that the long-time employee got her 2nd eye surgery. With the lunch special listed at $9.99, even the cheap meal here has crossed the $10 threshold. Its phenomenal price of $5.99 was a distant memory.

At The Drake Underground, a couple of American bands were playing a show. Both channelled a modern emo feel (or at least sad indie) fed through fuzzy distortion with a twangy drawl. Villagerrr came from Ohio even though they had a Canadian member. But she was laid up at the AirBnB with an illness. Their slow numbers were lightly propelled along by a touch of steel pedal guitar or a quiet riff. Teethe from Texas maintained the languid vibe but amped up the noisy palette. Their contingent of fans right up against the stage might have ringing ears the next day.

Given the rental cost in Toronto and the $35 ticket, I wonder if any young folks can afford the $35 vinyls and $40 tees. But I didn't stay for merch and left about a third of the way into Teethe's set. Unlike the show thwarted by poor Ottawa transit, I was able to go to a concert, saw most of it, and headed home on a single bus ticket (with its 2 hour validity window) in Toronto.

 

Missed Opportunity

Beverly Glenn-Copeland has been on my radar. Similar to the underrated but iconic Mary Margaret O'Hara, I felt that any live performance was likely to be memorable. But Glenn-Copeland doesn't seem to do many shows. The closest I came was back in the winter of 2019 when she was on a bill with Loom at the Cafe and Jam Factory, a loft space in an old building in East End Toronto. Unfortunately, freezing rain kept me ensconced in my attic apartment.

I was excited to find out Glenn-Copeland was playing in Ottawa on Friday at the Bronson Centre. But despite buying an early ticket ($40), I was defeated by local transit. My bus never came and even if it did, the prospect of waiting for a second transfer in the biting cold was too much. So I turned around and walked home.

I decided to make up for it (as I have not gone anywhere in a month) by trying Haitian breakfast on Saturday. Creole Sensations recently posted in their window that they would now offer morning meals. It reminded me of my friend who always wanted to offer brunch (including her country's version of shakshuka) at her African restaurant. But my breakfast ($18.95) at Sensations was perhaps a little too authentic and unlikely to appeal to mainstream taste.

Given the choice of beef live, codfish, or smoked herring mixed with scrambled eggs, I picked the last option which is likely to be Zè ak Aransò. Now eggs and fish (think lox) isn't an unusual combination but the herring aroma and flavour was quite strong. It reminded me of egusi where a briny taste seemed out-of-place or unexpected in a dish. It's a combination that would require acculturation. The sides was a small salad (lettuce, tomato, and watercress) and a large amount of boiled plantain. The latter doesn't compare to potato for starchy chewiness and lacked its primary draw for me: caramelized sweetness. Given the price, I think there won't be many takers for these dishes.