Mango and Taro

The story of Mango and Taro begun when Johnny wanted to be a big shot youtube celebrity by doing nothing but eat a lot in front of a camera. So armed with his trusty camera man, Ann, they set off to their favourite Korean Restaurant where they learned the hard way that improvising is not as easy as it seems. Unfortunately, the embarrassing footage of Johnny eating got lost - and so they're back to square one with a blog this time. Maybe some day Johnny will want to be a big shot youtube celebrity again and Ann will have a better camera to film with.

Johnny's adventures in Chinatown with his trusty sidekick, Ann (the no longer trusted camera man), once again begins at a bubble tea shop.

Tea Shop, Food or Tea Shop Food or Tea Shop and Food is found on Yonge just outside of North York station with a very funny Engrish sign that says, "Grand Opening 6 Years Anniversary."

Johnny explains: "It means they had their grand opening 6 years ago and are having an anniversary now."

Seems dubious.

The inside interior is decorated plainly with white chairs and white tables. Nothing outstandingly Asian-ish except for the flat screen t.v. on the other side playing a mix of Taiwanese/Korean music videos.

Johnny: "Let me translate it for you. He's singing about loving his dead brother and he's sorry that his wife murdered him. He's torn on who he should love and be loyal to."

"He just said marry me in English."

The menu:

It says Stop and Seat inside a heart. Perhaps the menu is inviting us for a quick rendevouz. Interestingly enough, Tea Shop Food is Taiwanese owned in a very Korean area. This got Johnny very excited because he is Taiwanese.

Incase you needed a brief lesson on bubble tea, the menu explains what bubble tea and tapioca is.

Apparently everything on the menu was good, according to Johnny who also happens to be an expert on Taiwanese cuisine. We settled on getting popcorn chicken. You can tell it's authentic because of the fried basil leaf and the slight spice in the batter.

And of course, this wouldn't be a real first post without the infamous Mango and Taro. The mango bubble tea is an ice crush, which means they used fruit syrup. The taro is a sherbet, which means they used powder.


And so ends our first adventure in Johnny's Chinatown, more commonly known as Toronto.