Toronto - first trip ever to Eastern...er...Central CanadaSo I've been told that Torontonians dislike being referred to the "Eastern" part of Canada, preferring instead to be "Central". All I can do is shrug, since being an Edmontonian, I see anything east of Edmonton as "East" since that's pretty much the direction I had to go in order to get there.
Anyway, I was pretty damned excited, since this was my first time ever going to Toronto & Montreal. My friend Tracy has been living in TO for almost 6 years, and having just bought a condo, I thought I would go and mooch off of her while I while I took a look around.
WestJet Sale Bonanza
Toronto has always been one of those destinations on my list that I wanted to go to, but simply sat low on my priority list. I attribute this to the fact that it costs a ridiculous amount of money to travel within Canada. I mean, don't you find it kind of silly that it's consistently cheaper to fly to San Francisco or Las Vegas for half the cost of a trip to Toronto?
WTF?
Anyway, WestJet decided to have a big seat sale, and since I was looking for an excuse to travel somewhere, I got a ticket to visit Tracy for only $437. A good $300 cheaper than your normal ticket to TO after all the taxes and surcharges. It was still at least $100 more expensive than my trip to San Francisco the previous year, but whatever.
I head out on the 18th after work and took the 6:15 PM flight out. To my surprise, I ran into my co-worker and his wife, who just happened to be on the same flight as me, heading to TO for a wedding weekend.
The flight was a little over 4 hours, and the trip made me wish I had grabbed some food before I left. I should know better than to travel without food, but I guess I was too preoccupied to use my limited brain capacity for memory. No food means I was pretty cranky for most of the flight, and the only thing that saved my sanity was the free BellVu Express TV that allowed me to get my weekly fix of CSI (that and the little packages of munchies they give you).
Toronto Airport ExpressI booked a round trip ride into downtown Toronto with the Toronto Airport Express which only cost me around $31 - way cheaper than taking a taxi, and you get 10% if you get your ticket online rather than paying at the kiosk. It's a pretty stress free way to get in as long as you know what your end destination is.
Pontification on Toronto being exactly like Vancouver
I ran into my co-worker and his wife again on the bus. It was just the 3 of us, plus a Vancouverite who had just moved to Toronto. She was a little bit of a stress puppy, unsure if she got the right bus, even though it was 11:30 at night, we were the only bus around, and the bus driver assured her at least 3 times that she got the right bus.
As we drove in, I chatted mostly with my co-worker and his wife about the wedding they were attending and their plans for the wedding. Punctuating our conversation were exclamations from the ex-Vancouverite about how much Toronto was ALMOST EXACTLY like Vancouver, except for the Hockey Hall of Fame...and this building...and that building. They have the same banks! Wow...that's just crazy that they have the same banks in different parts of the same country.
Uhhh...okay...I'm done with this one.
Arrival - Bond Place
Since I was one of the last stops along one of the last routes, the bus driver kindly dropped me of a block away from where my friend was living. I still managed to get lost...missing the little street the main entrance to her building was and ended up instead at the backside entrance on the next street.
It's a fantastic old building with loft style living, but I felt a little bit like I was trying to get into Fort Knox. I first had to buzz in, tell security over the intercom I was here to visit my friend in apt # blah blah blah. Then I would get buzzed in so I could take the 1st elevator up to the lobby area, so security could buzz me through another set of doors to get into the second elevator, which I could take up to my friend's floor.
I'm tired now.
Friday - Just got here and already leaving
Since I came in pretty late the night before, I slept in while Tracy had to go to work. We were planning on catching the 5:00 PM train out to Montreal that evening, so I had to figure out what to do with myself until then. I spent most of my morning unpacking my bag in order to pack a smaller bag for my trip.
Burrito BoyzI headed out just before noon to meet up with Tracy for lunch. Although her directions were clear, I had to walk around the building once to make sure I got the right entrance. Although I got the right floor, I was confused by the fact there were two offices, so Tracy had to save me from myself and meet me by the elevators. Apparently, both offices were the same company but named differently. Whatever - too much thinking already for a vacation.
I dropped my bag off at her desk and she took me to a little eatery called Burrito Boyz. In case you did figure it out from the name, it's an eatery that specializes in burritos...custom baked burritos that is.
I suppose if you manage to hit this place during a non-busy time, it's a very organized process. However, if you go when I did (the lunch crowd), it's total, utter chaos, with the perfectly organized process interrupted by the idiocies of newbies (like myself) who are unaware of the rules of the system.
Thank god Tracy was with me. LOL.
Burrito Boyz is very much like a sub or donair eatery set up: after picking your basic type of burrito combination (beans, chicken, steak, etc), you can add a multitude of different toppings and sauces to enhance your burrito experience.
Unfortunately for me, I like my custom wrap experiences to be fairly low key - so much so, I seldom add anything from the vast selection of condiments. So I ordered a plain small steak and cheese burrito. I suppose if I didn't panic in the midst of the crushing clientèle, I might have considered adding a little bit of tzaziki sauce, maybe some lettuce, but I just ended up closing off my order and moving on while my incredulous burrito artist took my boring order to get baked.
Once again, Tracy saved me from myself (and the process), by helping me pay for my food (in a separate line), and grabbing my order (same line, but not). When did I get so useless? We then swam out of the sea of hungry people and walked a couple blocks with our little brown bags over to a little park where we could sit down on one of the benches and eat our hot, toasted food.
I was pretty hungry by the time we started eating. There was brief regret over the missing sauce, but I enjoyed the burrito well enough without. The meat was hot and seasoned, the cheesy was smooth and melty. It's a nice satisfying combo. I think they have their sizes mixed up though since this small burrito was freaking huge, and I couldn't even finish it.
Tracy tells me that I was probably the first person who didn't rave over the fabulousness of said burrito, because she had taken most of her endless parade of visitors to Burrito Boyz and every single one loved it.
How do I say it? I just like donairs better. And I should have gotten tzaziki sauce. LOL
Hockey Hall of Fame
I had about 3 hours to kill before Tracy was done at work, so she walked me over to the Hockey Hall of Fame where I planned to wile my time away. A tip if you're buying your ticket, if you have a Shoppers Optimum card, you can get your ticket at a discount from any Shopper Drug Mart. If you're wondering where you can find one - there's one on the same floor as the entrance of the Hall.
I ended up spending around 2 1/2 hours in there, wandering the endless glass displays of venerable memorabilia of various and legendary hockey players. A documentary homage to Wayne Gretzky was playing in the background as I ascended the stairs to enter the room that held the replica Stanley Cup and all subsequent trophies (Hart, Campbell, Lady Byng, etc.). The room that houses the trophies of the hockey elite is old and refined, with a stunning overhead stained glass dome. It reminds me of smoking rooms and old men with cigars and scotch.
The replica Stanley Cup is out in the open where the masses can walk around, touch, hug, or kiss with abandon (as long as you don't tip it over). I prowled in circles around the holy grail for I figure around an hour, picking out the Edmonton Oiler names that were engraved. I took about a dozen pictures of the cup alone (which you won't see yet because I haven't developed the film, occasionally stepping aside so another fan could pose for a memento picture.
After taking a gander at the original cup and subsequent rings that have been removed from the current "real" cup to maintain it overall shape and integrity, I made my way back down the stairs and headed toward the international part of the Hall to locate the infamous luck loonie that helped Canada win Olympic gold in 2002 in both the mens and womens hockey.
I found the display of the loonie itself to be rather...inconspicuous. The story board behind it was massive, but the loonie itself was embedded in a rubber puck and mounted in the darkness of the lit-from-behind story board. After mourning the inadequate display, I moved on to the other side of the Hall which showcased Canadian amateur hockey athletes and housed the play zone for wanna-be hockey players and goalies.
It took me a while to get over my perceived embarrassment (I mean, it's not like I'm going to see anyone there again) before I lined up for the shootout to shoot some pucks at a virtual goalie. Ummm...let's just say I have absolutely no talent in this area and should just stick to watching from the sidelines instead. But it was fun, and I'm glad I stuck around long enough bury my pride to try it out.
On my way out, I got to goggle at a huge display featuring the University of Alberta hockey teams...home town pride...gotta love it.
By the way, if you're wondering where all the pictures are...I didn't take any digital ones. It was too dark and the images kept coming out pixel-ly. I did however take around 24 black & white shots with my manual camera - just too broke to develop them just yet. Soon. I hope.
Got a train to catch...
The weather outside had gotten dark and spitty. After reinforcing my boots with a couple of comfort sole inserts picked up from Shoppers ($14.99 - holy crap), I hoofed it back to Tracy's office to pick her up so we could head to the train station.
We got to the train station just as everyone was lining up to board the train. The guy who was checking our tickets drew a nice happy face on Tracy's ticket. Tracy told him he missed his calling and he laughed and drew a heart on mine...awwww. It's worth a girlish giggle...or two. Of course, I don't have any evidence of said tickets since those portions of the tickets were taken away. *shrug* oh well, life moves on...along with us on the escalator.
Insert Montreal (October 19-21)
Even Mondays on vacation are hard to take...
When I woke up on Monday morning, I was really freaking tired. Even though I was on vacation, I felt obligated to go out and run my "errands" so I wouldn't have to deal them later in the week.
First on my list - I had brought my silver Mont Blanc mechanical pencil with me in hopes of getting it repaired. I dropped it over a year ago, and bits and piece flew as it fell apart. I do a lot of my pencil sketches with it since it holds 0.7mm lead (not very common), so I was completely choked when I couldn't use it.
Toronto holds the only official Mont Blanc Boutique in Canada, so chances were high that they could repair my poor broken pencil. Since the boutique was housed on one of Toronto's mostly highly branded streets, it was my chance to do some window shopping (because I wouldn't be able to afford more than that LOL) and then see what I could do from there.
Younge & Bloor
I took the metro up Younge Street from Dundas station to Bloor station and then headed east along Bloor. Bloor Street is sin city for the superbrand junkies of the world, with stores like Prada, Louis Vitton (I have a cousin in Edmonton who would kill go to into that store), Chanel, & Tiffiny & Co. Thankfully, I don't live for the brands that would require multiple full paychecks to pay off a single suit, so I was very comfortable checking out the window displays while heading to my real destination.
Mont BlancThe Mont Blanc Boutique is a pretty glass store that is currently marred by the extensive reconstruction going on around it. Roads are being ripped up and rebuilt, so it's a total mess on the outside. Inside is pristine, with glass displays and lights picking out the highlights of pretty shiny objects. Even the sales people are pristine, with perfectly pressed suits and coiffed hair. There were other customers here from the business world, with their Armani suits and Rolex watches. I was tempted to poke these people to see if they were real, and not just realistic mannequins.
I do not looking like your typical Mont Blanc customer, looking a little sloppy in leather jacket, jeans, and wrinkled shirt. I guess it's good thing that I'm accustomed to the "look" I got from a tiny 5'1" asian girl that's telling me that I don't really belong in a "classy" place like this. I get this look often, since I like going into stores like this, but very seldom do I dress like I have money to burn (it's the leather jacket, isn't it?). Not like I give a shit since I've brought my pencil from the other side of the country to get fixed , and like hell I'm going to walk away just because I'm not dressed to code.
Anyway, I dropped the pencil off and headed back out, relieved to have escaped the look of disdain I had to endure. Service would take about a week and would cost me about $91. I could only hope to be able to pick it up before I left.
Cop CopineAfter shaking off the sensation that I was somehow an inferior being, I headed into the Yorkville & Cumberland shopping areas. If possible, this area houses even more elite shopping than Bloor, as well as some popular Canadian designers that I know nothing about.
I only came to this area for one store. Cop Copine is a label out of Paris, that is popular for their asymmetrical, slightly quirky designs and practical material choices. The clothes are easy to wash and wear, without the need for dry clean. I'm able to get my Cop Copine fix at home, but it was almost necessary to make the pilgrimage to the only official Cop Copine store in Canada.
The salesgirl there was incredibly friendly and cheery - a lovely change from the chilly atmosphere I had encountered at Mont Blanc. After trying on the entire shop, I found a couple pieces I would have loved to have taken home with me. Unfortunately at almost $400 per piece and no layaway option in sight, I had to walk away, slightly sad & disappointed, but incredibly relieved I didn't fall further into debt.
Laywine's
As I was heading back to Bloor to try and track down the grocery store I was told was a good place to pick up food, I passed by Laywine's [www.laywines.com], a little shop that sells an extensive variety of pens and stationery items.
I love this place. The salespeople here are knowledgeable, friendly, and above all else, patient. It's a great combination for indecisive or inexperienced pen shoppers, and a refreshing change for an experienced one like myself.
I found a gorgeous silver Corinthian fountain pen that wrote like a dream, and I would have bought it if not for the price associated with it - a whopping $625 before taxes. Ouch. I'm beginning to vastly dislike the fact that many of the things I like have disgusting price tags attached.
Manulife Centre - Valu Mart
I'm extremely proud of myself at this point. I haven't spent a dime (I wouldn't have to pay for my Mont Blanc expense until I went to pick up my pencil), and I was nearing the end of my little adventure for the day.
I was planning on making tuna pizza for dinner, so I needed to hit up a grocery store to pick up some ingredients. Tracy told me to go to Valu Mart, which was located in the lower floor at the back of the Manulife Centre. For those from the western part of Canada who are familiar with the monstrosity of Superstore, Valu Mart is the small grocery version that sells the Presidents Choice brands commonly carried by Superstore.
The costs are reasonable, and produce is cheaper than the typical Toronto grocer. It's a good place to go if you happen to be in the neighborhood.
What's for dinner tonight? Tuna pizza
I always have problems eating properly when I travel. This is mostly because either A, I'm in a hotel, or hostel with no way to cook my own food, or B, in staying with someone who gets nervous as soon as I touch a cooking pot.
I am not a bad cook. I'm simply lazy. It's much easier to cook for more than 1 person. When you're b yourself, what's the point? I eat when I'm hungry - most of the time, it's easy stuff that I just shove in my maw while doing my chores. Multi-tasking is a great thing.
Since I was staying with Tracy, I had a chance to actually cook for a change. At least she doesn't get nervous when I pick up a knife, and that's very good for me since I get nervous if someone else is nervous. That's just too much nervousness to be happening in a place where things can cut or burn you.
Anyway, back to dinner. I decided to make tuna pizza. It's a cold dish that is 95% ingredient preparation, and 5% baking. It stays good for a couple days, so you can have it for lunch the next day as well, and getting whole ingredients will give you enough to make 2 full pizzas.
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups of Bisquick (a box can make 3 crusts)
1/2 cup of water
Sauce 1 block of cream cheese (light)
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 tsp of dry dill or 2 tbsp of fresh dill
2 sticks of green onions or chives
1 can of flaked tuna (in water, not oil)
Toppings 1/2 green bell pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 orange or yellow pepper
1 cup of grated cheese (whatever your preference)
Make the crust first, as it will cool while you're preparing your sauce and toppings. Mix the Bisquick and water and knead until the consistency is elastic (if it sticking to the bowl and your hands, you'll need to keep going until it sticks to itself).
Spread the dough evenly on a flat baking sheet or pizza pan. you can leave a small crust along the edges if you like, but make sure you don't leave too much dough, or the crust edge will end up being mushy instead of crispy. Bake in the oven at 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes until the surface is a light golden brown.
Remove from the stove and let it cool completely before adding any sauce or toppings. This will help maintain the crispiness of the crust. If you add the sauce while the crust is still warm, the overall pizza with end up soggy faster.
For the sauce, mix the cream cheese, mayo, dill weed (if using fresh dill, remove the larger stems), onions/chives, and tuna together (make sure to drain the tuna first before adding) until the consistency is smooth, not chunky. Put this in the fridge to chill while you prepare your toppings.
Wash the bell peppers and cut each of them in half. Remove the core and seeds, and then slice into thin strips. For variety, you can substitute one of the bell peppers with a couple sticks of celery (chopped).
Remove the sauce from the fridge and spread it over the cooled crust evenly. Sprinkle your grated cheese on top (I used the Tex Mex pre-grated package - a good mix and saves time). Then distribute your bell peppers evenly over the crust. And one more handful of grated cheese on top of this and it's ready to be served.
Tuesday - It's raining
Ick. Rain. I had convinced myself that it was okay to just not do anything today and give my poor abused feet a rest. So I literally lazed around all day. I had no desire to slog around in cold, wet rain. I hate rain. Besides, I was justified in staying in during the day because Tracy's fabulous co-worker, Pete, got us tickets to watch the Leafs play in the Air Canada Center that night.
Anyway, Tracy called me up to tell me to meet up with her and Pete at the Irish Embassy [Younge & Wellington] for drinks before we headed off to the game. I guess the day of lethargy didn't help my sense of direction, as I ended up heading north along Younge instead of south, ending up at Wellesley rather than Wellington.
I eventually made it to the Irish Embassy, about a half hour late (lots of time before the 7:30 PM puck drop), squeezed into the bar which was crammed with people, had a pint of Guinness with Tracy & Pete, and then Tracy and I walked a couple blocks down to the Air Canada Centre.
Oilers on the Ice? - Toronto vs. AtlantaPete gave us some awesome tickets. Wanna guess where we were? Section 109, row 8, seats 5 & 6. Platinum section, baby. Whoo hoo. I wasn't within spitting distance, but definitely drink tossing distance for sure.
We picked up some food in the Platinum lounge since neither of us had eaten dinner yet. Platinum privileges are fulled decked out in dark woods, stainless steel, and glass, with a wide assortment of goodies to eat, like prime rib sandwiches, sushi, and thai noodles, on top of the regular sports fare of burgers, hot dogs, & fries.
I got the prime rib sandwich special ($13.95) that came with a little snack bag of Vicki's kettle potato chips - I thought it was kind of weird to have a special with no drink, but *shrug* whatever. The prime rib sandwich? Mmmm...prime rib. Enough said.
If you were so lucky to have access to an Executive Suite, then you had the privilege of having your own private little room, with it's own bar, food service, and flat panel TV. Wouldn't want to rub elbows with the common folk, you know what I mean?
I would say the men to women ration for the lower bowl sits at about 10 to 1. In our section alone, I think there were...4 other women...maybe. I picked out 2 from their high-pitched squealing that happened every times the guys were checked into the boards near them. Season tickets have been around this town for so long, that people have transferred possession of their seats on to loved ones before they passed away. It would account for the elder male demographic in my section.Watching a hockey game in the airy Air Canada Centre was a strange sensation. I'm much more accustomed to years of watching and working Oiler hockey games in the smaller venue of the now called Rexall Place. Perhaps it's the size that makes the difference in the noise level, but as I sat 8 rows from ice level, I was discomforted by the...lack of noise.
I figure it's probably a combination of a few things...the fact that Air Canada is much bigger, it was a weeknight, and the crowd was probably around 75% business. In fact, they even had something called the Suit Cam, a camera that picked out people in their snazzy business suits.
I thought that the Leafs had great tools available to generate noise. Guest spots from famous celebrities and local hockey players asking the crowd to make some noise, witty little cartoons and snippets to make the crowd laugh and cheer, and hilarious intermission activities to make the time go by faster. I kind of wish I had a chance to watch a game during play offs instead...where the stakes are higher, and the energy more intense.As for the game itself...it was a lot like watching the Oilers play. Shoot the damn puck, dammit! Just shoot...somewhere near the net would be nice. And the power plays were AGONIZING! What no shot on net during that power play? Really? Noooo....
In the end, they managed to tie it up in the dying seconds of the 3rd period and couldn't resolve anything in an exciting overtime period. Thus, I got to watch the Leafs in a shootout. Mat Sundin got poke checked...POKE CHECKED in a shootout...WTF? And the Leafs lost...
*sigh*
Oh well...what can you do.
Wednesday - West Queen West (Spadina to Trinity Bellwoods Park)
I would liken West Queen Street West to be a lot like Whyte Ave on steroids if I hadn't already used that apt description to describe Montreal's rue Saint-Denis. However, don't mistaken me - Queen Street and Saint-Denis aren't really alike at all except maybe in sheer distance, but I found both to be equally addictive.
West Queen West starts at Spadina Avenue and ends at the Trinity Bellwoods Park. My tiny little downtown map only covers up to Bathurst, missing the subsequent 7 or 8 blocks left of this remarkably long shopping street. Not like I mind walking off the map mind you - I just noticed a lot of the downtown maps of Toronto a missing this section, not just my puny but useful little map.
Where Montreal's Saint-Denis is a mid- to high-end and local designer haven, West Queens West is all about obscene variety. Whatever you're looking for (outside of the premium brand names like Prada and Rolex), you'll mostly likely find it all here: clothing, shoe, accessories, jewelery, music, antique, furniture, cafes, restaurants, thrifts, galleries, art supplies, hardware, computer supplies, fabric, beads, goth, leather, and odds & ends (there is actually a store called that). There's no way I'm naming them all - much to lazy, and this blog would be ridiculously longer than it already is.
ScarpinoSo I'm still looking for a pair of dress boots since I wore mine to death back home. Tracy recommended Queen West, so this was the top of my shopping list. Scarpino [311 Queen Street West] was the first shoe store I hit and already I hit the jackpot of bankruptcy...lol.
I actually didn't see the boots until I was ready to give up and head out the door. Lucky me, it was on sale and cost me only $114. Yikes.
Rudsak Collection
I didn't buy anything in this particular store (thought I wanted to...I really did). Rudsak Collection [www.rudsak.com] [315 Queen Street West] is the perfect store for you if you have an addiction to trendy leather clothing, bags, and accessories galore. I found a beautiful chocolate brown zip wallet/clutch for the bargain price of $115. Heh.
*sigh* Moving on...
Bodyblue Denim Lab
At this point, I've managed to walk a fair portion of Queen Street West before I made my next informative stop. Jean are my bane and nightmare - which is nothing new, and not an uncommon complaint. I mean who doesn't have a problem finding jeans that fit them?!
Anyway, like may others, I dread trying them on, but since I have nothing but time, I went to the saleperson with only this to say: "I need help finding a pair a jeans because I have no idea where to start."
The girls there were extremely helpful. They gave me a few different pairs to start, so they could get a better idea of what style would fit me best. In the end, we found the perfect fit...the most expensive pair I tried on (figures)...a pair of David Kahn jeans with a price tag of $240.
I walked away from the lovely jeans...because it was too hard of a pill to swallow even for a leaking wallet on vacation like myself.
I think I'm cursed.
Starbucks - Claremont Street
At this point I'm pretty tired. I've marched all the way down Queen Street West, and walked right off my little map, ending up at Claremont Street in the street corner Starbucks, sipping my Grande Iced Chai Tea Latte while I jotted down a couple of random notes on my ripped up paper bag/grocery list left over from my Montreal trip. Mmm...refreshing.
Magic Pony Shop - toy store for kidults
"Kidults", the apt coinage that combines the words "kid" and "adult" into a single noun. Irreverent toys for the kidult generations has become rapidly popular, spawning collectibles such as Munny, and Smorkin' Labbits for the masses.
The Magic Pony Shop [www.magic-pony.com] [694 Queen Street West] is a toy store for adults who are still kids at heart (it is NOT that kind of toy store). Filled with random, funny, satirical toys, books, every day kind of items - you'll find it here.You know the song from the Toys 'r Us commercials..."I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys 'R Us kid..." I had that running in my head while I wandered around this tiny little store. I ended up buying 4 little Labbit figurines as souvenirs for friends, and a little Munny figurine (about the size of my thumbnail) for myself. It's a very dangerous place for recovering collector-holics like me. Very dangerous.
I love this place. If I had money, I'm sure I would have spent it all on useless funny little toys that would do nothing but collect dust on my desk. There was a cool little exhibit on display by local artist Derrick Hodgson featuring his Mega Wibbied Mindthicket series. The main exhibit piece is constructed of little oddly shaped creatures, construction pieces similar to modular sets. Because the individual pieces are unique in shapes and sizes, the overall construction does not end up being geometric like most modular sets, but irregular and almost organic.Almost as addictive as Lego, but about 5 times more expensive. To give you and idea...for a 5-piece set (not even modular pieces...just the figures)...you're looking at $125. Ouch.
Did I mention I was cursed?
Carmen's - 2 rings
So everything I've been to, I've bought a ring...and sometimes if the picking are good, I come away with more than one. On my way to Tracy's office, I ran into a little jewelery kiosk called Carmen's. There was a nice assortment of various silver jewelery ranging from rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, as well as different body jewelery as well.
I found 2...one that had an aquamarine (er...I think, maybe not, have to check), and the other that had a labradorite (dark moonstone) that leaned towards a rich blue colour [total=$92].
I give up.
Chinatown After picking Tracy up at work, we walked through Chinatown to pick up groceries for our much anticipated dinner. Chinatown is a great place to go if you need cheap produce, general goods, and about very odd herb, mushroom, dried animal part, or BBQ meat in existence. Just be prepared to fight for you space, since walking around Chinatown after work can be crowded and a bit of an adventure.
What's for dinner tonight? Laksa - curry noodle soup
This was a dinner Tracy and I planned to have when I first booked this trip. We both LOVE laksa - a Malaysian curry based soup noodle dish that our aunt has made our entire lives. I recently discovered, to my delight, a packaged mix of laksa sauce in the local Chinese market very similar to my aunt's made-from-scratch recipe.
Not only does it save an entire day of simmering - it's simplifies the dish to a point that from beginning to end, takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour to put together. Almost all the work is simple preparation of your ingredients.
Ingredients 1 package of vermicelli noodles
1 package of laksa sauce
1/2 a can of coconut milk
8 or more cubes of deep fried tofu
1 roasted chicken (at your supermarket)
3-4 eggs
1/2 cucumber
bean sprouts (optional)
1 cup of large frozen shrimp (optional)
2-3 stalks of green onions (optional)
Start of with your package of laksa sauce. This particular package will tell you to throw the paste into a large soup pot with about 1200 ml of water and bring to a boil. Then you'll add your coconut milk into the mix, and bring to a boil again before turning the heat low.
Thank god for the roasted chicken at the supermarket these days. For around $8.00, you save yourself a few hours worth of work. All you're doing now is shredding the meat of your chicken to strips (store the meat in a container or bowl to be added to your dish later). Throw the large bones into the pot with the laksa sauce as well as any extra juice that would have leaked out of the chicken as you were stripping it, as this will add flavor to your soup. If you don't eat the skin - also add this to the soup. Waste nothing!
If you decide to have shrimp (recommended), blanch, peel, and set aside. Wash & trim your bean sprouts. Wash and chop your green onions. Wash and cut your cucumber in small strips.
Make thin crepe-like omelettes with your eggs. You may add some salt for flavor, but not a lot is necessary. Then slice your omelettes into thin strips (around 1 cm thick - does not need to be exact :) )
Boil your noodles and then drain them. Do not add these to the soup.
Cut your cubes of deep fried tofu into halves and then drop them in the soup. Bring the heat back up on your soup, but not to a boil, and it should be ready to serve.
Now at this point, it's a self-customization process. You just grab a bowl, and put in as much noodles and toppings you like before topping everything off with your soup. Do the soup last as it will heat up all your ingredients.
Enjoy.
Mmmm...laksa. Tasty.
Next up: Toronto (October 18 - 28)...likely Part 2 of 2
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