My friend J comes over to hang out again today. He is a big fan of instant ramen and takes me to an Asian food market a few blocks away in search of some unique flavours. I’ve probably walked past it several times without taking any notice. Once you walk through the small storefront, the place opens up to a surprisingly large shop inside with several aisles filled with all sorts of Asian produce, sauces, spices, noodles, rice, fish, frozen dumplings, desserts, etc. — Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Thai, Indian, and even Mediterranean. (I don’t think I’ve ever seen fenugreek leaves before in a spice section!) It’s also very clean and well kept up. I have a few Chinese and Thai dishes in my recipe collection, and now I’m feeling inspired to try cooking them knowing I can find any ingredients I might need at this shop. Although if I were really serious, I should probably invest in a wok (the shop also sells these), but I’m not sure where I could store it in the apartment’s already full kitchen cabinets. At any rate, J finds some pork tonkatsu ramen, which sounds good to me as well, so I pick up a couple of packages for myself.
For lunch, we go to Bunsen — a hipster burger place just the next street over from mine. The menu is the size of a business card featuring only a few options for burgers, fries, and milkshakes. I remember the food being good from when I ate here during a past visit, and again it did not disappoint. They even ask how you want your burger cooked (medium or well done), which I haven’t noticed anywhere else. I’d say Bunsen is comparable to the Super Duper chain in SF with high quality, flavourful ingredients and a minimalist menu, although the burgers are not quite as juicy.
After lunch, we hang out back at my apartment watching more RuPaul’s Drag Race (which J has been bingeing lately). I rarely watch TV except in the evenings after dinner, so it’s feels like a guilty pleasure to be a couch potato all afternoon… although lots of people enjoy watching sports on the weekends, so I suppose it’s not all that much different. It’s relaxing and comforting to spend a “normal” day at home.
Until next time…
