LUXOMME

We began our morning with a quick shopping trip down Bloor and then headed over to explore the University of Toronto Campus.

I say explore, but really, it was on our way to our main destination, Momofuku. Knowing that we had a big meal ahead, compounded with the fact that none of us really knew how to find the nearest subway station, we decided to make a 30 minute trek over. Of course, we ran across this fellow and HAD to take a picture.

How can you not?


We mused about how we had all considered UT at one point but decided the campus was way too big for us to ever navigate. You'd have to be seriously directionally talented to be able to survive here, or a human GPS. Really in shape too.




When we finally arrived at our destination, resounding sounds of relief were heard all around. We had gotten there just before the lunch rush had started and were promptly seated and given the option of tap, sparkling or bottle water.




The seats began to fill up as we still struggled with our decision. All the options looked so tempting and it was their 10th noodle anniversary, so we wanted to take advantage of all the choices available.


The three of us finally made an order after 30 minutes of deliberating. Momofuku ramen for Angie, Ginger Scallion Noodle for Sherv, Chilled Spicy Noodle for me, and of course, okonomiyaki to share.


We got so restless while waiting for our food that a round of "usies" were taken, because #asiangirlproblems.




When I lived at Queen's with my housemates, okonomiyaki was our go to midnight study snack. Because I had lived across from a 24/7 Metro, we would all pop out of our rooms randomly and decide that a late night grocery trip was needed to whip this delicious pancake up.

Momofuku took it one level up and slathered it with sauces and tiny pickled vegetables which were light and tangy, a nice contrast with the savoriness of the pancake. You guys have to try this.





I have this soft spot for Ippudo Ramen in Hong Kong for various reasons, the noodles being one of them. Until Momofuku, I had yet to find the perfect balance between softness and the "bounce" that I like in my ramen noodles. Sherv's ginger scallion noodle had a very light and delicate taste while mine had a subtle oil dressing but very intensely flavored pork and candied cashews. I would definitely ask for less oil for mine next time, and the bowls are massive. It looked small in all the pictures I looked at online, but the portions are enough for 2 people since the bowl is so deep.


The Momofuku "empire" actually consists of three floors, each housing a different restaurant catering to different tastes and price ranges. We started at the noodle bar on the bottom and worked our way up to the milk bar on the second level. Located there is a very cold room where they house tons of sweets, creating the perfect finish to your meal.

Also, it was there that we discovered that we weren't the only ones to obsessively take pictures of ourselves. I swear I didn't purposely take a picture of him taking a picture of himself though.






In retrospect, we probably could have just shared one of these, but we decided to spring for cereal milk's. To be honest, this was the most disappointing and overpriced part of the meal. Don't get me wrong, it still tasted great, but like horlick ice cream, nothing special. The cups were also small and the ice cream not fully frozen. For almost 6 dollars, it wasn't worth it.

For further reviews and pictures check out this link ! 




Very satisfied, the three of us hung out at Eaton's Center for an hour or so fooditising. We were going to shop but ended up sitting on my not so top secret bench on the top floor. If I'm in downtown and just want a place to rest, you'll probably find me there since no one really goes up to the top floor and I get the bench to myself.


Because we all had dinner plans, we decided to end the day off with a brisk stroll around Eaton's, running smack dab into Busker Fest which none of us even knew was going on.


Toronto definitely does things on an entirely new level. Last time I walked into the Pride Parade and now this. There was barely any room to move because there is something new going on on every block that everyone wants to be a part of.


Angie and I eventually decided to give up trying to get through the crowed and the two of us retired to a coffee bar where we people watched and chatted until both of us had to head home.



Highlight of our brief stroll through Busker Fest? Hollowed out pineapples filled with slush (which looked absolutely fantastic), a girl wearing a dress made of balloons, and the dragon which I managed to get half of shot of. But food in general. So much food.



One last crowd picture to end this post because it ain't Toronto without the people.

naomi

Best part about Korean food are the banchans. I could sit and eat these all day if you let me.







We got two different types of meat, beef ribeye and samgyupsal.  Not the healthiest, but once you finish grilling you can wrap the meat up in a delicious lettuce wrap, stuffed to the brim with vegetables. Makes it practically healthy in my books. 

My stomach is growling as I write this post.



Sariwon is our go to place, but this time we went to Seoul House once and Chingu the next. You can find a list of places that offer KBBQ here.

Do wear clothes that you plan on washing though, the amazing smell has a tendency to overstay it's welcome.  

 

naomi

My friend Angie and I made a quick pit stop at a Hotteok place while waiting for our friend Crystal to arrive downtown. We realized halfway through our first bite that her cellphone had actually died, so we rapidly gobbled the rest of the pancake up so we could go find her.



These girls have a crazy busy schedule though, so after our lunch date we all headed on home since they both had places to be, people to see!  On the way to the subway station, I spotted this restaurant with a massive orange sign that said "buk chang dong soon tofu".

Naturally, I whipped out my phone and texted my friend Clara to see if she was up to head downtown with me the next day. 

Soontofu? I am so down. 



For those of you who may not know, soon tofu is a spicy Korean soup with tofu. It's also my absolute favorite type of Korean food and here they have soontofu with beef, soontofu with veggies, soontofu with seafood!  You get the idea.

This place also lets you crack your own egg into the hot boiling soup when it comes (something I liked) and they made their rice in hot stone pots which they scooped out and then filled with water to create burnt rice soup which you can drink afterwards.

Not the most appetizing sounding thing but it was comforting. 

I ended up getting soontofu with mandu and beef. 



We decided to head on over to Eatons to walk off our lunch, but found ourselves at Chatime instead..







We ended up going from Koreatown --> Eatons --> Koreatown --> Yorkville --> Queen's Street --> Koreatown --> Eatons that day. Don't ask me why, but we definitely made use of our transit pass.


My cousins and my brother had gone to a raptors game that evening and it's tradition for us to meet up at Kinton Ramen afterwards, but once I found out that Clara had never been, I had to drag her over and make her try their ramen.



They had JUST opened their Koreatown branch so the place was still fairly empty since not many people knew about it. I definitely did a double take when I first walked by it unknowingly.







I was going there later with my family so I just grabbed a light tofu furai. 



 Because we finished dinner around 6 and my cousins weren't going to be downtown till 10, Clara and I head BACK to Eatons for a night stroll.



We ended up standing in front of this Christmas tree just talking and reminiscing about our crazy first year days and how far (or not far) we have come since then.







naomi