A Few Doors Down

There seemed to be no end to work madness since March. I wanted to pull the plug on the whole thing because by any standard, my nest egg should be sufficient even with early retirement. On the other hand, the second half of my retention bonus arrived last week. But this lucre was pro-rated so it would be clawed back if I leave before next May.

For lunch, I wanted some adobo chicken from Teako. I was surprised that the servers weren't the owners but even more so to find out they only served tea now. They had stopped making food, at least until the summer (supposedly), because business was slow. This did not bode well for the store. So I made my way to the Greenwood intersection for Gerrard Sushi. Unlike ibet Sushi (or its spiritual ancestor Mazz Sushi), they did not play easy-listening jazz but pop. Specifically, smooth covers of songs both old (REM's Losing My Religion) and new (Olivia Dean's So Easy To Fall In Love). I was on the fence about their sushi lunch ($15.95). Good: the fish wasn't bland like Hana Sushi. Bad: the nigiri was on the small size but more egregiously, the nori for the salmon maki was tough to chew. I have never had subpar seaweed until now.

After work, I went to Coxwell because Food Basics did not cover all the basics. Little India looked a little run-down with numerous empty storefronts and development signs. This was a neighbourhood either in decline or about to undergo rapid gentrification. Some businesses had just moved to smaller digs: Udupi Palace was now at Regency Restaurant, The Famous Indian Cuisine moved across the street to replace Karma's Kitchen. But stalwarts like New Family Diner were permanently closed. The Dollarama and No Frills at Coxwell had larger selection, though the latter did not compare to the location at Dufferin Mall, and I was able to finish off my household checklist.