Take Out: Coconut Green Grape Boba Mochi from Mochi Lab

Since Iris and I were already in the area, it would've been churlish not to stop by Mochi Lab.

Coconut Green Grape Boba Mochi with coconut egg roll crumbs
It was Iris' first time there, so she got the Mango Pomelo Mochi, which is what I got last time and highly recommended to her because she is also a mango fiend. Since I am making my way through the whole menu, I decided to get the Coconut Green Grape Boba Mochi ($12.99 + tax) with coconut egg roll crumbs this time. Iris had to go to a family dinner, so we took our mochi home rather than eating it right away, and I put it in the fridge overnight.

Coconut Green Grape Boba Mochi with coconut egg roll crumbs
I did eat it within the recommended 24-hour window, but of course, mochi loses its a lot of its pillowy, stretchy texture after being refrigerated. (That's on me, though, not on them.) That having been said, it was still tasty — the grapes were big, fresh, crisp, and not too sweet. The egg roll crumbs worked beautifully with the grapes, adding a hint of coconut and a nice crunch. The popping boba also lends a great contrast to all the other flavours and textures, though I wish they were more generous with it like they are with the fruit.

Coconut Green Grape Boba Mochi with coconut egg roll crumbs

My only real qualm about this one is that the grapes just weren't sweet enough to work against the cream cheese filling. While I think mango pairs perfectly with it because it brings out just enough tang from the cream cheese, the grapes are too mild and makes the cream cheese taste significantly saltier. I think this one would've worked better with a whipped cream or maybe a mild ricotta filling like in cannoli. In fact, Mochi Lab just came out with a yogurt cream filling two days ago at their Scarborough location for those who don't want cream cheese, and they recommend it with the Green Grape Mochi, so I might have to try this one again... You know, for research.

Mochi Lab

10 Northtown Way, Unit 112

North York, ON M2N 7L4

(416) 225-8885

Take Out: Mango Pomelo Mochi from Mochi Lab

So, this is super random, but when I went to see my optometrist (who is a pretty hardcore foodie) last month, we started talking about restaurants in Koreatown North because I told her about my BTS food pilgrimage, and she highly, highly recommended Mochi Lab. In fact, she recommended it more than any other eatery in the area, and she's eaten almost everywhere along Yonge Street from Finch to Sheppard. I mentioned this to Minji who, as it turns out, is also obsessed with Mochi Lab, so since we were in the area, she insisted to take me there for my first visit.

Mango Pomelo mochi with butter crunch crumbs

Mochi Lab is a tiny take out-only shop that has just enough room for a little kitchen area, a counter partition, and a very narrow front area that has just enough room for a kiosk to order from and maybe four to five people to stand in. We got there around 4:00PM and there was a constant line-up at the kiosk, though this must've been a "slow" period because some reviews have said that the wait is over 30 minutes, but both Minji and I got ours within five minutes. Now, they recommend eating their mochi within 24 hours, but it's obviously ideal to eat them right away to get maximum freshness. However, there's no room in the store to eat these, so you have to go elsewhere. Luckily, there are a lot of random parks and playgrounds in this area, so there's actually plenty of choice for benches and cement blocks to sit on. Thus, we took headed over to an empty playground so Daniel could play with Lillian and Minji and I could devour our mochi. 

Mango Pomelo mochi with butter crunch crumbs

I decided to get the Mango Pomelo Mochi ($13.99 + tax), which consists of fresh mango and pomelo layered in cream cheese, all wrapped in mochi and then coated in butter crunch crumbs. Apparently, they used to just wrap their mochi up in parchment paper so they got messy real fast, but they put them in wax paper-lined bowls with lids now and provide forks, so it's much easier to eat (and store, if you aren't eating it right away). Now, I will be the first to admit that these are not photogenic. But for what they lack in looks, they totally make up for in UTTER DELICIOUSNESS. 

The mochi itself is super soft, super pillowy, and super stretchy with just the perfect amount of chew. It is wrapped tightly around a very generous mound of filling — I counted no less than six giant chunks of mango. Mine actually didn't have a lot of pomelo in it, so it was definitely more mango-forward, but I'm not mad about it because, frankly, I got this more for the mango than the pomelo. The cream cheese filling is mild and fluffy, and I think the slight salty tang tempers the ultra-sweet fruit really well. It is expensive for what it is, but in a city where we pay $8 for bubble tea now, I actually think $15 is fair for what I got — especially since the mochi is bigger than my palm. That having been said, I'm glad I don't live near here because my diabetic ass would be tempted to get one every damn day...

Mochi Lab

10 Northtown Way, Unit 112

North York, ON M2N 7L4

(416) 225-8885

ARIH Dual Biotic Soda in Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon + Energy Drink in Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour

Okay, so ARIH's drinks were finally released in Canada at the end of August. This was actually sooner than I had anticipated since brands have to adhere to Canada's packaging (all wording has to be bilingual in English and French) as well as Health Canada's regulations (on top of approving all ingredients, they've added warning labels at the top right corner of all food/drink packaging if the product is high in sugar, cholesterol, etc.). Like the ARIH noodles, the drinks seem to be exclusive to PC (President's Choice) retailers here, like Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

I originally wasn't going to get the drinks because I thought they were going to be insanely high in sugar, but when Iris was at Loblaws getting them and asked if I wanted any, I asked her to take photos of the nutritional value tables for me. And surprise of all surprises — the Dual Biotic Sodas are only 20 calories with 1 gram of sugar and the Energy Drinks are only 10 calories with 0 grams of sugar (!!!). This is TREMENDOUSLY good news for those who are health-conscious, diabetic, or just watching their sugar intake in general. Basically: I CAN DRINK THESE!!!

ARIH Dual Biotic Soda in Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon
I asked Iris to get me two of each flavour. Like the noodles, ARIH have only released three flavours for each drink type in Canada instead of all seven. (Hoping this is for market testing only and not the permanent line-up here.) So for the Dual Biotic Soda, we got Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon; for the Energy Drink, we got Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour. They're currently retailing for $2.49 per can, which is actually on par with independent pop brands and cheaper than most energy drink brands. Basically, I think the pricing is very fair, though I do wish they would sell them by case instead of by can. (Indeed, Iris, who also got two of each flavour for herself, had to place a total of 24 cans on the supermarket conveyor belt to be scanned and had to bag them all by herself. I did thank her profusely.)

Now, having had all of September to try these, I will say: I like the Dual Biotic Sodas more than the Energy Drinks. There wasn't a single flavour of the Dual Biotic Sodas that I didn't like, though the Red Ruby Galore ended up being my favourite. While the sodas are obviously carbonated, they have a very smooth, almost milky finish — closer to a can of Milkis than Sprite. I'm guessing this is because of the pre- and postbiotics in the drinks (basically, they help with gut health over time). I would definitely buy the Dual Biotic Sodas again. I hope they bring the other four flavours into the Canadian market at some point, though — Pineapple Drift and Apple Flare sound AMAZING.

ARIH Energy Drink in Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour

The Energy Drinks actually have 100mg of caffeine in each 355ml can, which is about the same as an average 8-ounce cup of coffee. (For reference, a can of Red Bull of the same size has 114mg.) The Tropical Wave flavour ended up being my favourite, but they all have a kind of bitter chemical aftertaste — not sure if this is from the coffee bean/guarana extract they use for the caffeine, or if it's from the sugar alcohols, or if it's from the postbiotics. (However, the Dual Biotic Sodas also have sugar alcohols and postbiotics and don't have this aftertaste.) The Orange Hour was the worst of the three in terms of flavour and had the strongest aftertaste. I do have to admit that I am not an energy drink person — I prefer to get my caffeine from coffee and tea — and I likely won't re-buy these, but I still prefer them to most of the other energy drinks on the market.

ARIH Modern Noodles in Vongole, Truffle Bulgogi, and Gochujang Butter

ARIH NOODLES HAVE FINALLY ARRIVED IN CANADA!!! 

After months of being exclusive to the US, ARIH Modern Noodles (a.k.a. BTS instant noodles) is finally available here. Granted, we only got 3 of the 7 flavours so far — Vongole, Truffle Bulgogi, and Gochujang Butter — but I'm not even mad about it because a) it seemed unlikely that Canada was even going to get them, and b) they're literally the three I wanted to try the most. (Note: I have not actually tried them yet. I got them and was just extremely excited about it.)

ARIH Modern Noodle in Vongole, Truffle Bulgogi, and Gochujang Butter

It looks like they'll be exclusive to PC retailers here; they were first seen at Shoppers Drug Mart, and I have also seen them at No Frills, which means they'll likely be available at Loblaws, too. Shoppers is retailing them for $9.99 which is definitely steep for a pack of 4 instant noodles, but Iris' dad got them for us on Senior's Day last Thursday, so we got a 20% discount on them. (Bless him, he went to five different locations before finding them.) And hey, $2 for a meal is basically unheard of in this economy, anyway.

Now, we're just waiting for the drinks. (Hopefully, they'll have zero sugar options by the time they come here.)

UPDATE (09/04/26): I have now tried them all. The actual noodles are EXCELLENT. Thick and bouncy with the perfect chew. (Assuming you follow the cooking times listed in the instructions, the noodles will always come out great.) This type of noodle works particularly well with sauces as it holds all the flavour, unlike soup noodles, which benefits from a thinner noodle to hold the flavour. The Gochujang Butter was, by far, the winner of the three for me — the spiciness of the gochujang and the creaminess of the butter powder work perfectly together. 

The Truffle Bulgogi was decent, but while I expected the truffle flavour to be quite artificial, I didn't expect just how sweet the bulgogi component was going to be. I actually needed a bowl of cucumber slices to cut the sweetness throughout eating it. With this one in particular, I do not recommend using the entirety of the sauce packet. I'd start with like, half of it, and work your way up. Finally, the Vongole was my least favourite, which surprised me because I thought it would be so much better. Might need to play around with the ratio of sauce to noodle, but the clam flavour was just TOO artificial for my taste. This was super disappointing since so many reviewers gave it such a good rating. But this is also the only flavour I only ate one pack of, so maybe I need to give it a second go...

Take Out: Original Takoyaki at Master Tako

Master Tako takoyaki box
Original takoyaki

FINALLY!!! A place that specializes in freshly made, authentic takoyaki in the Greater Toronto Area! That actually taste like the ones in Osaka!!! Crispy on the outside, lava hot and gooey on the inside, with big chunks of octopus on the inside and generous amounts of sauce and bonito flakes on top. The original ones are $9.99 which is two times more expensive than the ones in Japan, but IT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT BECAUSE THEY'RE FREAKING DELICIOUS. Plus, they come in the cutest graphic box with matching toothpicks, chopsticks, and carrier bag — by far the fanciest packaging I have ever seen for takeout takoyaki. I will be back ASAP; they have eight other flavours that I have to try.

Master Tako

New Kennedy Square

8360 Kennedy Rd., Unit 52

Markham, ON L3R 9W4

(905) 305-9998

Take Out: Snow Skin Mooncake Set 2024 from Daan Go Cake Lab

For Mid-Autumn Festival this year, I decided to go to Daan Go Cake Lab for their Snow Skin Mooncakes again because, frankly, they are tastier, prettier, and more unique than those plebe lotus seed paste mooncakes. (I had said last year that I hoped these would be released again this year, so I'm glad they were popular enough for a comeback!)

Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box — Artwork by Kimiko Nogomi

Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box

Snow Skin Mooncake Set

Snow Skin Mooncake Set

This year, we have two returning flavours and two new ones:

• Pistachio Raspberry (new): Pistachio pastry cream with a raspberry gel centre and raspberry pistachio croquantine
• Salted Duck Egg: Salted duck egg pastry cream with a salted duck egg lava centre and white chocolate coconut crisp
• Passion Fruit Cheesecake (new): Cheesecake filling with a passion fruit gel centre and white chocolate graham crumble
• Jamocha Nut: Chocolate pastry filling with an almond lava centre and milk chocolate almond crumble (a.k.a. the GOAT of mooncakes)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Pistachio Raspberry

Snow Skin Mooncake — Pistachio Raspberry (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Salted Duck Egg

Snow Skin Mooncake — Salted Duck Egg (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Snow Skin Mooncake — Passion Fruit Cheesecake (Inside)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut

Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut (Inside)

Regardless of where your mooncakes are from, I hope everyone has a delightfully food-filled Mid-Autumn Festival!

Daan Go Cake Lab

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Building C, Unit 70

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-9098

Osaka 2024 Travel Log: Day 3 — Dotonbori Street Food Tour

We fought our way through crowds and spent way too much time waiting in queues, but it wouldn't be a trip to Osaka without a plethora of street food:

Original takoyaki

A variety platter of takoyaki

Mitarashi dango

10 yen cheese coin pancake

Sweet potato taiyaki

Melonpan with strawberry ice cream

Ichigo daifuku with strawberry cream and matcha cream

Sweet corn with strawberry soft serve

Not a single disappointing item. ONLY DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF BECAUSE I COULDN'T FIT ANYMORE IN. 

Dotonbori

Chome Dotonbori, Chuo Ward

Osaka, Japan 〒542-0071

+81-06-6211-4542

Take Out: Snow Skin Mooncake Set 2023 from Daan Go Cake Lab

I'm just gonna go ahead and say it: Lotus seed paste is boring. All the mooncakes my parents ever bought or received when I was a kid had the traditional lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk filling so I grew up totally indifferent to mooncakes. However, mooncakes now come in all sorts of different flavours and fillings that are way more exciting. So for this Mid-Autumn Festival this year, I decided to try out the new Snow Skin Mooncakes from Daan Go Cake Lab, which are gorgeous mochi-wrapped works of art:

Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box — Artwork by Wenting Li
Snow Skin Mooncake Set Box
Snow Skin Mooncake Set(Clockwise from top left: Coconut Salted Egg Yolk, Premium D24 Durian, Matcha Yuzu Pistachio, and Jamocha Nut)
They come frozen and are meant to be defrosted for an hour before eating, but I like to defrost for 30 minutes instead so that they have a firmer texture — like mochi ice cream, but a bit softer and with a fun crunchy middle. After much deliberation, I chose the set with durian (they have a set without it as well) — I got it in hopes that it would change my mind about the fruit, which is really reminiscent of a buttery fart. (To be fair, the last time I actually ate durian fruit was 23 years ago on a family trip to Thailand, so my memory of it might be a little skewed. But it was unpleasant enough that I have not felt the need to eat it again.)

Snow Skin Mooncake — Coconut Salted Egg Yolk
Snow Skin Mooncake — Coconut Salted Egg Yolk(Yolk lava filling, salted egg yolk, milk crunchy)
Snow Skin Mooncake — Premium D24 Durian
Snow Skin Mooncake — Premium D24 Durian(D24 premium durian, durian filling, caramel crunchy)
Snow Skin Mooncake — Matcha Yuzu Pistachio
Snow Skin Mooncake — Matcha Yuzu Pistachio(Yuzu jelly, matcha pastry cream, pistachio croquant)
Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut
Snow Skin Mooncake — Jamocha Nut(Almond gianduja, jamocha filling, almond crunchy)

Sadly, my mind has not changed about durian, however, I will say that it is significantly better in this mooncake form than the fruit itself. (Anyone that plays The Sims 4 will know there is a fruit you can grow called the trash fruit. I imagine that it tastes like durian.) The other three flavours are delightfully interesting and tasty, especially the Jamocha Nut, a crowd-pleasing flavour that would be delicious in any form of dessert. Daan Go Cake Lab did an excellent job at combining unique but cohesive flavours and textures for these mooncakes, so I really hope they release these again next year. (Note to self: Leave out the durian. You're just not meant to like it.)

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

Daan Go Cake Lab

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Building C, Unit 70

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 707-9098