Kensington Market
Ever notice how everyone seems to be in a good mood when it's sunny outside? It's a georgeous sunny day with just a hint of a breeze. Add the fact that it's Friday and just before a long weekend and the result is a festive and busy downtown -- street hawkers in front of tables of silver jewellery and sunglasses, a guy doing chalk paintings on the sidewalk, oh-so-hip Queen West types darting in and out of oh-so-trendy shops, and lots of everyday folks like me just wandering around enjoying the sunshine.
I ended up in Chinatown in search of lunch. I steeled myself against the food aromas -- bbq duck, soup, fried noodles -- and kept going to Kensington Market. It's changed a bit since I was last there but now is not the time to reflect on that. Lunch was first on the agenda! Here's what I had:
The pupusa was procured from a shop on Augusta, north of Kensington St. Like most of the places at Kensington Market, I don't really know the shops by name. The market is best experienced through a random and leisurely walk, occasionally poking into nooks and crannies and stumbling into shops.
Anyway, back to my lunch...The closest description I can give to help others find the pupusas is to walk into one of the larger Latin markets on the east side of Augusta. You will go past the table full of tacos and avocados, up a couple of steps into the main part of the store, past the nth number of types of polenta and masa harinas, past the rows of canned goods and spices, and at the back, you will be rewarded with the sight of two women patting pupusas into disks - switching the ball of cornmeal mixture back and forth between two palms (the way you would if you were handling a hot potato) - smearing the filling on top then topping with another disk before slapping it on the grill.
The chicharon is available from the guy at the till at the same store. There's a big tupperware full of these things at the front as soon as you enter. Ask for a bag and help yourself to some. You pay by weight. Mind you, Thursday does not seem to be the best day for chicharon. The stock was almost depleted. I imagine the weekend is probably better if you want fresh stock. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart! I know deep fried pork rind sounds disgustingly health-hostile, however, if you grew up with the stuff like I did, you will be able to look past the greasy stain on the brown bag with the chicharon and your greasy fingers to enjoy the stuff. I get cravings for it every once in a while -- I have my fill, then stay away from the stuff for another year.
The apple cake was okay, but it definitely needed enhancing. The ginger ice cream gave it a much needed flavour zing. The flavours worked together, however if serving to guests, the pairing would need a dash of colour -- the beige-toned ice cream on top of butter-coloured cake was a little bland. I can imagine strawberries on the side and a drizzle of chocolate for better presentation.
It's been a while since I've been to Kensington Market. A few changes. I think there's more vintage clothing shops than I remember. The organic ice cream place is new. It's just south of Global cheese. I didn't have much time so I didn't poke inside too many shops. I didn't even go to Tom's! Definitely changed, though. The vibe feels a little different. There's now a whole line of shops (mostly gifts and fashion) under the new condo building (across from the parking lot) that I did not bother exploring. These shops seem a little strange -- too mainstream, too sterile and manufactured, too anachronistic for the vibrant marketplace.
I ended up in Chinatown in search of lunch. I steeled myself against the food aromas -- bbq duck, soup, fried noodles -- and kept going to Kensington Market. It's changed a bit since I was last there but now is not the time to reflect on that. Lunch was first on the agenda! Here's what I had:
- pupusa with chicharon, beans and vegetables (Latin American cornmeal snack, starch portion is patted into a palm-sized disk stuffed with said items) and served with a coleslaw. I also got a vegetable and meat empanada and the whole deal cost $2.50
- chicharon (it's basically deep-fried salted pork chunks with rind) $2.00
- apple butter cake from the Caribbean store $1.30
- organic ginger ice cream $2.50
The pupusa was procured from a shop on Augusta, north of Kensington St. Like most of the places at Kensington Market, I don't really know the shops by name. The market is best experienced through a random and leisurely walk, occasionally poking into nooks and crannies and stumbling into shops.
Anyway, back to my lunch...The closest description I can give to help others find the pupusas is to walk into one of the larger Latin markets on the east side of Augusta. You will go past the table full of tacos and avocados, up a couple of steps into the main part of the store, past the nth number of types of polenta and masa harinas, past the rows of canned goods and spices, and at the back, you will be rewarded with the sight of two women patting pupusas into disks - switching the ball of cornmeal mixture back and forth between two palms (the way you would if you were handling a hot potato) - smearing the filling on top then topping with another disk before slapping it on the grill.
The chicharon is available from the guy at the till at the same store. There's a big tupperware full of these things at the front as soon as you enter. Ask for a bag and help yourself to some. You pay by weight. Mind you, Thursday does not seem to be the best day for chicharon. The stock was almost depleted. I imagine the weekend is probably better if you want fresh stock. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart! I know deep fried pork rind sounds disgustingly health-hostile, however, if you grew up with the stuff like I did, you will be able to look past the greasy stain on the brown bag with the chicharon and your greasy fingers to enjoy the stuff. I get cravings for it every once in a while -- I have my fill, then stay away from the stuff for another year.
The apple cake was okay, but it definitely needed enhancing. The ginger ice cream gave it a much needed flavour zing. The flavours worked together, however if serving to guests, the pairing would need a dash of colour -- the beige-toned ice cream on top of butter-coloured cake was a little bland. I can imagine strawberries on the side and a drizzle of chocolate for better presentation.
It's been a while since I've been to Kensington Market. A few changes. I think there's more vintage clothing shops than I remember. The organic ice cream place is new. It's just south of Global cheese. I didn't have much time so I didn't poke inside too many shops. I didn't even go to Tom's! Definitely changed, though. The vibe feels a little different. There's now a whole line of shops (mostly gifts and fashion) under the new condo building (across from the parking lot) that I did not bother exploring. These shops seem a little strange -- too mainstream, too sterile and manufactured, too anachronistic for the vibrant marketplace.
posted by Grace at
5:42 PM
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