House Bound

Sunday night, I headed out for another early dinner. I had walked down Irwin, a side-street just off Yonge, on my way to Ca Phe Rang in the morning. I noticed the well-known name of Ethiopian House next to a Japanese bistro bar and decided to return for an evening meal.

Stepping inside, it was a small and welcoming space decorated with numerous arts and crafts pieces of Ethiopian and Black origin. There was a second, larger room upstairs as well. I asked the owner if he had moved as I recalled it was upstairs in a building on Yonge Street. But since I mostly ate Ethiopian at Bloor and Ossington where there is a mini-Ethiopian enclave, I had never stepped inside that location. I learned then that this is the OG spot at 26-years and counting. The other one was a competitor/interloper that only lasted for a few years. The rent keeps rising every year but his clientele knows this spot. In any case, it wasn't much cheaper anywhere else though some folks have decamped from Bloor to around Danforth and Woodbine.

I ordered the veggie platter ($13.95). I was most excited for the collard greens, a delicious dish that is no longer offered at African Palace. But I was also pleasantly surprised at the potatoes and green beans which was a great combination of flavour. This was a tasty dinner, a tad on the oily side, but not as bad as Nazareth.

The dinner ended on a slightly sour note and only because I'm a pedantic rule-stickler. I was charged extra for the injera flatbread. All Ethiopian restaurants I've ever been to does not charge for the injera piece that is used as the base plating for the "platter" dishes. So it felt like a sneaky surcharge here. I could also tell by its dryer texture that the base was day-old. This usually doesn't matter if there's a fresh side piece as most will only eat a little of the plating. In any case, caveat emptor for this spot depending on your personal tolerance for hidden fees. But Ethiopian House did have the prettiest, nicest vibe of all the Ethiopian restaurants I've been to.

You Rang, Sir?

About a decade ago, a fancy French chef with a restaurant in Yorkville offered his own take on the Vietnamese pho for about $20. This at a time when a bowl was still about $6-7. It seemed tone-deaf then and even more so now when people acknowledge cultural appropriation and ethnic food ghettos. However, with a typical bowl now costs around $12, and the influx of higher-priced but excellent Japanese ramen, I have been waiting for an authentic Vietnamese place to take a stab at a quality offering.

I've been hearing things about Cà Phê Rang. There are non-Vietnamese help in the kitchen, but the main cook was an old-school Vietnamese chef with "bona fides". So I felt good about checking this place at Queen and Richmond on a blustery Sunday morning.

The outside with its bamboo slats hinted at a trendy pan-Asian look. But the inside with its cheerful sign and (fake) tropical windows evoked a street-side stall somewhere out by the beach. The music was a eclectic mix of J-Pop, K-Pop, and V-Pop. I opted for a bowl of Pho Tai Nam for an eye-popping $17.

This was a heavenly soup, easily the best pho I've had in a long time. The broth was dark, fragrant, and rich. The better beef selection made each bite a delicious treat. The tai ("raw") beef was tender and fell apart in your mouth. The nam ("brisket") beef was chewy cubes, laced with fat, and earthy. Even the noodles were loose and had great mouthfeel.

This pho is worth the price and is a legitimate contender against the Ramen and Udon spots in Toronto for best noodle soup. In fact, though I had balked at the $15 banh mi, I'm now confident that this menu option would be worth it as well. The only problem is if you're here, why would you pick anything else than the pho? But those fried chicken wings with fish-sauce caramel also sound tempting.

Tiny Dancer

Saturday night, I went to see the National Ballet's contemporary mixed program. There were 4 pieces 2 of which were world premieres. The first was Skyward (Alysa Pires) inspired by starlings and her pregnancy during its creation. The piece's main throughline was spins of various kinds, executed with grace or explosive power. A sparse violin/piano duet sometimes devolved into a modernist noise. The final section had a regular percussive thump that increased in frequency into a driving beat. This force animated the dancers into leaps and jumps.

After the Rain (Christopher Wheeldon) was purchased by the company to honour Jillian Vanstone. This was an excerpt of the full piece comprising of 2 parts. For the first part, 3 couples moved through sequences that often resembled human clocks accompanied by corresponding chimes. In the second, Vanstone (with unbound hair) and her regular partner Harrison James danced delicately and emotionally through a tender pas-de-deux. This got her a deserved standing ovation.

The second premiere was On Solid Ground (Siphesihle November). Things are looking good for him as this was his first professional choreographed piece. He was also recently promoted to principal dancer. Most of the audience (and myself) were ambivalent about the performance. However, the couple next to me loved the synchronous movements set to various music by Black composers. They opined during the break that its more abstract themes were less accessible. But my own opinion is that outside of 30-second tiktoks and short music videos, uniform/formation dancing really palls after a few minutes.

The final piece Elite Syncopation (Kenneth MacMillan) didn't do much for me either. Both the ragtime Scott Joplin et al tunes (played by live musicians) and the various showcases based on social dances of that area were anemic. Once again, the highlights were the collaboration between Vanstone and James.

It was a special night for Jillian Vanstone. After 22 years with the company, Saturday was her last performance before retirement. So at curtain call, many flower bouquets were given to her from various bigwigs from the National Ballet. With loud cheers from the audience, an explosion of confetti fluttered down from the rafters as if she was a ballerina inside a snow-globe.

It was interesting to note that Vanstone is one of the smaller principal dancers/soloists and so is November. But whereas it was an advantage for her with partner work, it may be an impediment for him. In Syncopation, there was a deliberately comical pas-de-deux between him and a "giant" Kathryn Hosier (in reality his size when not en pointe) that drew huge laughs.

I was glad to be present for Ms. Vanstone final performance. In fact, I saw her at an intimate show just before she was chosen by Wheeldon for the title role in Alice In Wonderland in 2011. That selection propelled her from 1st soloist, after 11 years with the company, into principal dancer for the last 10.

The Long and Short of It

I was ambivalent about my previous stay at Victoria's Guest House. The room was tiny and cold with perfunctory cleaning. But Victoria's uses its own booking site instead of me having to navigate travel aggregator sites. It also has several rooms available at the last minute without price gouging. Once I checked in though, I realized that with so many spots free for a place with only 11 rooms meant that there were likely only a few guests. Ironic then that I heard someone walking around directly above me later that night. They were also much more noticeable the next morning (one drawback of a basement suite).

I chose a basement space (there are 5 such rooms), specifically one with a "cot available" option. They were the cheapest ($99/night) and I hoped that with the extra space for a cot, it would be larger. It was a good guess: the room turned out to have enough room for my yoga mat and luggage at the expense of a smaller bathroom. I was still worried about the heat when I saw a small portable heater in the corner. But it wasn't needed. In any case, there was a mini split AC unit with heating option. Unfortunately, I was only able to switch to heat mode once. Otherwise, it was always blowing cold air so I turned it off. Spotty cleaning was still a problem though.

I walked down the street to Si Lom Thai for an early dinner. Last time, this spot was full up during the evening rush. I don't usually put much stock into staffing, but it was a good sign that everyone spoke Thai. I could see why folks order from here. Both the laab chicken ($12) and veggie green curry ($16.95) were delicious. I haven't had laab in a while and this version was a perfect balance of rich oil and tart lime. Too bad they didn't offer it with sticky rice. The curry was perhaps not sublime, but still of excellent quality. Si Lom also had vegan versions for multiple dishes. The décor was eclectic and fun, with a large wall graphic showing a Muay Thai fight. I was intrigued to see a poster for an upcoming competition hosted by Naka Muay Thai Academy.