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| - Growing up in the east end, I can recall zero dedicated desserts businesses--be it a bubble tea place or an ice cream shop or the like--opening in this area. It's something most downtown and suburban Chinatowns have, even over at Toronto's main Chinatown, but the little East Chinatown we're talking about here has been a treats desert (haha, puns) for a very long time. Which is why I am hoping Wong's will be able to stick around for a while.
Perhaps East Chinatown is starting a gentrifying rebound circa 2017 (yeah thanks a friggin brick, dear BlogTO). But if there is one thing Wong's got going for it, is their own creative take on Asian inspired flavours. No wonder they are getting compared to Kekou quite a lot. The flavours gets changed around often as they introduce new ideas. HK Milk Tea? Sure, but what about Salted sesame egg yolk? Wasabi honey? One visit I had a scoop of lychee pine needles, hyper sweet with that refreshing evergreen taste, it was very unique. Slightly uppity pricing for all those fun and exotic ice cream ideas, served in a Chinese takeout container if you like, and at least the really chill folks working will let you taste 'em all without batting an eye.
The location, the upper retail floor of 617 Gerrard, was vacant for many years after a hair salon I used to go to moved across the street before Wong's showed up. The way it is set up, there is few spaces for in-store snacking--a bench, a couple window bar chairs, and perhaps stooping on the steps outside. Much of the retail space is shelved with an oddball selection of snack items--basically a mix of a few imported candies and stuff like you'd find browsing around Pacific Mall alongside healthy upscale chips and snacks like it's just another day shopping at Big Carrot. They do have some baked goodies up front too, and you can take some of their cold creations in take-home-ready pints form (in those Chinese takeout containers of course).
If the mad scientists rotation of flavours you can't get anywhere else doesn't get you to come try, I don't know what else to try.
[TTC: 504/5 or 506 to Broadview and Gerrard.]
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