After an hour of getting through rush hour traffic to get downtown, another hour of getting through downtown traffic, and another 30 minutes of finding a parking space, Ronsee, Val, and I finally made it to The Ex.
No dilly-dallying. We went straight for the food. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. And it was way more crowded this year than previous years. Nearly every stall worth getting food at had a minimum 30-minute wait time. It was already 8:00PM by the time we got into the grounds, so we only had 2 hours to get any kind of food. However, our goal was to get foods that were both appealing and that we had never tried before, which was harder than expected. Since the last time we went to The Ex (in 2019, pre-COVID, the last time it was open), we also eat significantly less. (The worst part about aging. I swear we used to be able to eat at least double the amount we do now.) So we had to make our choices count:
Funnel cake and fried chicken sandwich from Deep Fried Chicken Sandwiches
Seoul-ful Taters from Get Your Own Taters
2. "Seoul-ful Taters" from Get Your Own Taters: This was exceptional, the unanimous favourite of the night. Perfectly golden, crispy tater tots with fluffy, potato-y innards. Flavourful, nicely marinated, tender beef bulgogi. The combination of these with the spicy, tangy flavour and crunchy texture of the kimchi was perfection. And this might be controversial, but I gotta say: Tater Tots work better than fries. Rating: 10/10
The Tiramisu and Signature Croffles + Lychee Strawberry Soda from Fuwa Fuwa
3. Tiramisu and Signature Croffles + Lychee Strawberry Soda from Fuwa Fuwa: Croffles are the latest craze in the pastry world right now and I am obsessed. So when I saw that Fuwa Fuwa, who are known for their soufflé pancakes, opened an entire stall just for croffles, I had to get some. We decided on the Signature (topped with whipped cream and berries) and the Tiramisu (topped with whipped cream, cocoa powder, and chocolate syrup). It was insanely hot in the Food Building so the whipped cream was pretty much melted by the time we actually sat down, but I gotta say, they were still really good. The croffle was buttery with a good chew and still had crispy edges despite the melting whipped cream. Both flavours were excellent, though the Tiramisu held up better in the heat. Rating: 8/10
No dilly-dallying. We went straight for the food. Unfortunately, so did everyone else. And it was way more crowded this year than previous years. Nearly every stall worth getting food at had a minimum 30-minute wait time. It was already 8:00PM by the time we got into the grounds, so we only had 2 hours to get any kind of food. However, our goal was to get foods that were both appealing and that we had never tried before, which was harder than expected. Since the last time we went to The Ex (in 2019, pre-COVID, the last time it was open), we also eat significantly less. (The worst part about aging. I swear we used to be able to eat at least double the amount we do now.) So we had to make our choices count:
1. Funnel Cake + Fried Chicken Sandwich from Deep Fried Chicken Sandwiches: Yes, that is a piece of fried chicken in between two funnel cakes with strawberry sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. Plus a side of coleslaw. (Even shared between the three of us, this is easily over 1,000 calories per person.) Funnel cake was crispy, chicken had good flavour and remained juicy, and it actually worked really well with the strawberry sauce and the whipped cream. But what really surprised us was how good it was with the coleslaw on it, too. It sounds like the grossest combo but it totally works. If only they gave us a knife that would actually cut through the damn thing. Rating: 7/10
Okay, so we didn't go as wild as we used to. Previously, we'd go The Ex just to try the weirdest or grossest new foods, but there was nothing particularly exciting this year (mustard soft serve and pickle ice cream splits just didn't intrigue us), so we just went with what looked interesting but would still taste good. And I think we did pretty well considering the time constraints. We only wished we could eat more.
Canadian National Exhibition
Exhibition Place
210 Princes' Blvd.
Toronto, ON M6K 3C3
(416) 263-3330
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