This week, I ventured a bit farther west.

On Tuesday, I checked out Parkdale, specifically Little Tibet. There, I headed straight to Loga’s Corner, a popular tibetan momo (dumpling) spot. I ordered beef momos (chicken, veggie, and potato momos are other options) and a mango lassi from Loga himself. A few tables and several photos of the Dalai Lama fill the small cafe.

A brightly colored orange hot sauce comes with the momos, but there are also hot sauces in a small fridge in the dining area and another type of hot sauce sitting on each table. The rich, flavorful momos and the hot sauce were delicious and the velvety sweet mango lassi was the perfect foil. I also tried the hot sauce on the table–a thick, spoonable, deep red condiment–and it was tasty, but very hot. I didn’t realize the extent of its heat until my lips were still burning after leaving the place.

On my walk back, I went into Kekou Gelato on Queen West for a break. I tried a Saigon Fog float, a sweet chilled Vietnamese coffee latte with boba and a scoop of Vietnamese coffee gelato–only after staying awake until the wee hours of the next day, did I realize that apparently there is a coffee that works on me.

Wednesday, I finally took the streetcar. I headed to Ink & Water Tattoo on Bloor St. West for a tattoo–I thought Leslieville was hipster-y, but this area better fits that label.

Afterwards, I went to nearby Village Pizza, where I devoured a large pepperoni slice fresh out of the oven–to fans of thin, crispy cracker-like crust, I highly recommend heading here for a slice (or a pie).

On the way back to the streetcar, I passed–well attempted to pass and failed–Bang Bang Ice Cream. I had a scoop of Soursop, a sweet tropical fruit–to me, it tastes like a combination of mango + pineapple.

Friday, I went to nearby White Lily Diner in Riverside, a modern neighborhood diner. The small place was almost completely full when I went at 11am–luckily, I snagged a spot at the counter/bar. From the menu, a selection of elevated classic diner offerings (proudly utilizing locally sourced ingredients), I ordered the patty melt.

Cooked medium-rare with a tangy poblano relish and creamy American cheese sauce, this patty melt is what other diner patty melts should aspire to be. And the salad + pickle that came on the side were excellent accompaniments–their acidity and freshness cut through the richness of the patty melt. But back to that poblano relish…I could easily eat a bowl of that. Also known for their donuts, I tried a cherry lemonade one (flavors change daily) that was tasty.

On Saturday, I walked into the downtown core and down Queen St. West. After some window shopping and people watching (Queen St. West is a prime area to do this), I grabbed a sandwich from Forno Cultura, an Italian cafe + bakery on King St. West. The warm mortadella sandwich with house made giardiniera (big fan of both) was a handheld feast enjoyed on the street outside.

Full, but never for dessert (#dessertstomach), I remembered that there was a gelato shop nearby–I had noticed it when I went to Shook Kitchen for dinner the previous week. A tiny place with only a handful of flavors available, Piccolina Gelato e Altra Roba has the vibe of a real Italian gelato shop. The two flavors I chose are perennial favorites of mine–Amarena + Pistachio. One bite and I was back in Italy.

So it seems that last week’s bakery habit is this week’s ice cream + gelato habit? Let’s see what I’ll be hooked on next week…