Taco Thursday

After the stay-at-home order was lifted, I headed to Ottawa in early June to visit family. I mostly stayed home but after a week decided to venture out for some take-out food. Near the intersection of Montreal Rd and Blair, there were 3 parking lots, each with its own food truck: falafel, fries, and Mexican.

On Thursday, I dropped by Ay Dios Mio Tacos for lunch. Looking over the tacos options (and a few burritos), I settled on the Carne Asada Combo ($14.50).

As I sat on a picnic bench waiting for my order, I pondered about the area. Like most neighbourhoods in Ottawa, especially along the main streets, it was a car-heavy and rather bleak stretch of road. Right next to the food truck was Laurier Manor. This nursing home was one of the worst hit during the pandemic. Across the street sat the Beacon Hill Motel. Although given the number of people with chairs outside, watching their children play in the parking lot, it probably housed more long-term residents than overnight visitors.

The crazy thing was that hidden in this area was one of the richest neighbourhood in the city. Rothwell Heights stretched north of Montreal Rd all the way to the Ottawa river. Curvy crescents and cul-de-sac contained huge homes tastefully distanced from their neighbour with large yards and mature trees. Those kids were walking distance from Quarry Park, a quiet oasis sitting mostly unused. It reminded me of Cedarvale versus Vaughan Rd in Toronto.

The combo comprised of 4 tacos and a drink. The shells were good but the toppings were bland and lacked all the piquant sauces. The beef was a bit tough as well. I chose meat because I thought they might do a better job than the typically less popular fish or shrimp. With all the diners coming by during my stay there, Mio was pretty good for Ottawa. But it definitely wouldn't fare as well in Toronto.

Sunday Edition

There are plenty of Asian entrepreneurs who open restaurants in Toronto, some are local while others are part of a larger company from Vancouver or Asia. Though many sport trendy décor and food, they are still considered niche. It's hard to escape the ethnic food ghetto except for Japanese restaurants selling ramen, udon, or high-end sushi. I've noticed that those who do get the mainstream love (or at least social media buzz) usually offer more Western fare like artisanal bread or quality seafood. On Sunday, I went to another such place, a newish patisserie shop at College and Grace called Bonne Nouvelle.

They position themselves as French-Korean and the Continental roots was clear with their pastries and desserts. But there was some East Asian influence too especially in some of the flavour. Today I chose a Zen Matcha tart ($9.25) and a simple butter croissant ($3.75). As this wasn't much of a lunch, I visited their neighbour Imm for some veggie pad thai. The tart was a jello-like mix of grassy tea flavour with dark, earthy tones from the black sesame cup. The raspberry made a nice palate cleanser. Overall, it was a tasty dessert.

The croissant, however, was exquisite. When I saw the densely-packed but thin layers, I knew this was going to be the real deal. Not the good-enough pastry you find at most bakeries, even the boutique patisseries. When I took a bite through all that flaky crust, rich with European high-fat butter, I had found my croissant place. Not quite at the level made by the late Donald Duong two decades ago. But Bonne Nouvelle is more worthy than most for his crown.

Plant-based

Sometimes you don't notice the obvious things. Last year, I realized that Toronto had thousands of parks, "a city within a park", despite the idea that the Big Smoke must be a concrete jungle. But this spring I also realized that its' large tree canopy, with some 11 million trees, meant that there will also be plenty of bloom. And it was true, through late April and all of May, the trees sprouted flowers in abundance. As one species died down and budded leaves, another one would burst with colour. As we neared the end of the month, the lawns also got bright. Although there were boring green grass, many homes have a front-yard full of plants, shrubs, and bulbs that sprouted colourful garlands.

But I was also thinking that there was also a cost. All this greenery was possible due to neighbourhoods that were mostly single residences. With zoning laws and Nimbyism, all the new condos are concentrated into glass ghettos on former industrial sites, constructed as huge monstrosities that are plunked down at major intersections, or erected as 5-story dull boxes that destroy charming buildings along busy commercial streets.

The streets were buzzing on Saturday. It was perfect weather: a little bit cool but the sunshine kept things pleasant. With month's end, moving vans were parked everywhere. You don't know why someone is moving out, but I think that moving in is always an exciting step. Someone wanted that fun urban life in a vibrant area. It might turn into a slog of shoddy repairs, bad landlords, and loud neighbours but for now, smiles all around.

I stopped at Honey's, a vegan ice cream shop, on Dundas St. W. near Dufferin. It was on my radar since the winter. I didn't want to buy a whole pint so chose a strawberry crumble sandwich bar ($6.25). The good: nice flavour and creaminess. Hard to believe this had no dairy. The bad: with it pre-made and stored in the freezer, the cookies were hard, cold, and difficult to bite through. Mostly though, a palm-sized treat that cost $8 (after tax and tip) is going to be an occasional thing. As I finished up my snack, I reflected that my old friends in the rooming house on College St. would probably not believe how much Brockton Village has changed.

The day was so nice that I went out after dinner for another dessert hit. This time it was a pecan party scoop ($5) from ruru baked. This ice cream shop opened after The Lansdowne Cone couldn't negotiate a lease with the new landlords. I got my order in before a line-up appeared behind me. The ice cream was light and not too sweet, blending nicely with the chocolate sauce. I also enjoyed the smokey, slightly salty pecan brittle (except for the hard candy coating). They were smart to limit the menu to about 5 choices though there were more options if you bought pints.

Hopefully Ruru won't have rent problems, too. Speaking of which, despite opening in 2011 and lasting for 9 years, I had somehow never gone to The Cone. It's true I'm not a dessert person but I have eaten in this area many times. Perhaps I will (belatedly) check out their new location in the East End.

Georgia On My Mind

Saturday morning dawned bright and warm but the forecast called for rain by lunchtime. But I still wanted to do 3 non-routine things today. So around 10 a.m., I paid for my first BikeShare rental ($7 for a day pass) and did my first ride along the new Bloor-Danforth bike lane. The heavy bike was less responsive but it was mainly the gearing that caused problems. They had 3 gears but I couldn't figure out how to shift. So the low-gear one I had chosen on my second leg at Yonge and Bloor was hard to use on the generally downhill ride toward Broadview. The chain wouldn't catch because of the slope so I was literally spinning my pedals. But the worst part of the experience was the 30-minute limit (to avoid overage charges). So I was always furiously looking around for the next stop so I can dock my current bike.

At Coxwell, I sat with some water and contemplated calling it a day and heading back. But I wanted to visit The Beaches today. With a high-gear bike this time, I felt more secure because it was a long steep trip all the way to Queen St. East. I arrived at the Eastern Ave depot trying frantically to dock while my time was running out. No luck with several stations until I realized the slight incline here meant I needed to lift the back tire so I could fully push the bike flushed into its enclosure.

Hot, sweaty, and a bit frazzled, I walked along the shops of The Beaches to Kew Gardens. I haven't venture deeper into this area in a decade, only stopping at the edge of Woodbine Park (Eastern/Queen) for some free concerts now and then. It looks like more condos have gone up, and the businesses still catered to the mommy-and-me set. I, myself, was specifically looking for a new shop that opened in April: Tiflisi.

With only a few thousand émigrés from the Eastern European country of Georgia, there weren't too many restaurants around. Tiflisi was family-owned and the owners have turned the store into a medieval tavern complete with a log ceiling, brick walls, torch sconces, traditional paintings, and even some ceremonial (hopefully) maces. The menu items looked promising but felt like family meals. I finally chose a Khachapuri which seemed more amenable for a single diner.

Khachapuri Acharuli ($19.30) was a boat-shaped (or perhaps fat kayak) bread filled with hot cheese and topped with a raw egg. I was instructed to mix the egg and cheese and tear off chunks of bread for dipping. This I proceeded to do at an Italian fountain in the park. It was a tasty lunch though the saltiness of the cheese got a bit much near the end. That probably wouldn't be a problem if my lunch included more dishes. You also had to dip judiciously, clearing out the gooey mixture in sections so you can get at the bread with less messiness.

Fully sated, I walked to the shoreline. The park, boardwalk, and beach were filled with people enjoying a hazy and increasingly overcast day. With rain approaching, I cut short my stroll at Woodbine Avenue instead of continuing to Ashbridges Bay, made my way past some colourful townhouses (these Painted Ladies were built in 2008), and hopped on a streetcar.

With life being what it is, I'd probably won't be doing any of these things again anytime soon. Maybe they'll still be around in another decade.