Our bed was really comfortable and we managed to sleep in as it was so nice being horizontal again. We went out for morning coffee and some breakfast – we found a cafe that had just opened. We ordered two cappuccinos and a roasted artichoke sandwich – however somehow a mistake was made and we ordered two sandwiches rather than one to split. We just went with it, and it was really good. The vibe of the cafe was nice – lots of people came in to get their coffees to go – and outside people jogged and walked to work.
Thanks to the bigger-than-expected breakfast we stopped in at Tim Horton’s for more coffee to go. The restaurant had hockey stick door handles – perfectly Canadian. They also had a mobile take away system for locals so people were constantly coming in to grab a coffee and run – interesting. We took our (slightly weak) coffees to the hotel and spent some time chilling out there and planning our day.
We kicked it off by heading to south to edge of Lake Ontario, to get a look at the city waterfront. We passed the CN Tower, the Toronto Blue Jays baseball stadium, an old train roundhouse that had been converted into a stylish museum/restaurant area. By the time we reached the waterfront I had started to get another allergic reaction. Once again it happened while walking around outside on vacation – we sat down to wait it out and debate to possible causes. It rarely happens in Japan, but almost always when traveling overseas, and often when we are walking around outside – never inside. So weird.
After resting a bit we walked along the water, and stopped by a restaurant that sells “beaver tails” – a kind of sweet that was recommended. Unfortunately the place was still closed and this trip we never got to try it elsewhere. Maybe next time.
We walked all over the downtown area, seeing City Hall, a big shopping center, interesting buildings and parks. Since I had forgotten to pack shorts back in Japan we hit Uniqlo to buy some for me and tried them on. Then we went to Muji for me to buy a small journal to write these notes. All the way from Japan and we went to two Japanese stores.
Stopped at Queen’s Park, passing through a lot of hospitals and medical centers. On the way back to the hotel we passed many older (historic?) and fairly dilapidated homes – they looked like they were once quite beautiful. Some parts of town were well-preserved but others quite run down. We also walked through a street lined with different Chinese restaurants. It didn’t feel like a Chinatown but for some reason there were many of them gathered here.
Back at our hotel we were having trouble figuring out how to get some clean towels for our second morning. Without staff there was nobody to ask, but they had a sort of janky system where you could send text messages and 15 minutes after sending some we got some response. It took a long time for them to research how to find towels for us and I got the impression that the people responding were in a far away country somewhere consulting a notebook. But finally they told us to go to the second floor and look in a particular closet and we got some.
We went out later for drinks at Ricarda’s, an Italian place that we noticed more for the decor than the dining. We sat at the bar and Kuniko had prosecco and an açaí margarita (with salt and herbs spread down the outside of the glass), I had some beers. We had some snacks too – truffle arancini and truffle fries, and we did some (slightly) drunken journaling at the bar.
After a nice nap back at the hotel we went out for dinner at a restaurant nearby called Aloette. It boasted “Canadian” food and the upstairs is their main restaurant (Aloe) that has a Michelin star or two. The cafe version below was a more casual vibe and what we were looking for. It was set up like an old diner with a long counter and booths behind. There was loud music but it was kind of stylish and we liked it. Kuniko had a cocktail sprayed with celery bitters, and I had another local beer. Our bartender was also our waiter, and she seemed pretty no-nonsense with a shaved head and a sort of standoff-ish aura. The place was pretty busy, with people walking close behind us as we sat at the counter.
We had grilled sea bream (with a really tasty cream sauce), lobster pieces with shellfish, and some homemade cheesy bread with some whipped butter. Dessert was a big piece of lemon meringue pie – it was a little tart but I liked it. Not as good as my dad’s version, though.
After dinner we walked down some different streets to see what was happening, with the aroma of marijuana still pretty distinct. As the breeze started turning colder we made our way back to the hotel for a nightcap and an early bedtime (still a little jet lag). Outside we could hear the sounds of partying, though – this area of town was fairly lively.
