Deli From The Block

Two things kept me indoors on Monday until past lunch. One, snowfall overnight and into the morning hours left the sidewalk slushy. I had no snow shovel but a kind neighbour finally cleared out my front entrance. Two, with the Holiday break over, my boss was keen on reviewing any leftover work and preparing for yet another mad dash for the new quarter.

At around 1 pm, I finally found some time to check out some stores in the neighbourhood. Stepping inside 2-year-old Masa Deli, I was expecting chai tea and South Asian bites. But I misread the name and thought it was kin to Indian cafe Mayil on College and Concord. Instead, it was a hipster coffee shop with a few bar benches. The short menu consisted of breakfast wraps and 2 lunch sandwiches. I settled on the Torta Milanese for $15. It was a satisfying lunch: fresh lettuce and tomatoes, some pickles, a base of refried beans, tangy salsa and aioli, and tender panko fried chicken. It was good but at $20 with tax and tip it wasn't twice as good as the Spicy Chicken ($9.99) from fast-food chain Mr. Sub.

Nearby was an old Portuguese store called Progress Bakery. My early morning runs during the pandemic sometimes took me near enough that I could smell the fresh bread baking. But I forgot to drop by until now, almost 5 years later. Luckily, this decades-old shop has kept going. Stepping inside, I was initially nonplussed by the pizza and apple pie slices. But then I recognized the cod patties ($4.85 for 2) and the variety of bread. A quick inquiry for another day revealed that the buns were only $0.70.

These fritters were moist and flaky: a perfect addition to my leftover veggie plate and much better than defunct Nova Era. At 40% less pricey than OMG Tapas, along with those cheap buns (and who knows maybe even pizza), Progress goes on my regular haunt list. But Masa will be cut because even their brekkie burritos ($13.50) were 75% more than Uncle Sid's ($7.75).

Before I attempt to sleep on the tatami mats, I remembered that the loft bed was lumpy because it was likely never flipped and rotated. I could do the next best thing and sleep from the other end. Sure enough, the more even surface resulted in peaceful slumber. Well, I still only managed a few hours like usual but better than two nights of restlessness.