Well, I was in the area, and there was a lot of hype about The Well and especially Wellington Market, so I thought, why not drop in?
The exterior of the building recalls memories of 1970s Soviet architecture, but we can't blame The Well for that. They are just collectively tenants in a building constructed in the currently most popular Toronto style -- "Memories of 1970s Soviet Architecture".
I was going to check out Prince Pizza. It validates Toronto as a world class city, just like every famous American chain that opens a branch here. "At last, peanut shells on our burger chain's floor! We have truly proven we are as good as New York City!"
Check out, because I'd had a lot of pizza on the weekend, and a Kirkland frozen pizza sitting in the freezer at home. I was just going to look at a slice and smell it, your honour. I swear.
Anyway, let's get the obvious out of the way. The Wellington Market in The Well is an upscale food court. Like almost all food courts in this fair city, it is downstairs. Not one flight of stairs, but two.
Upon arriving, I began looking around for Prince Pizza. Nope. I wandered hither and thither, and no Prince Pizza was found. So I settled for a cinnamon sugar mochi doughnut from Isabella's.
I've had mochi before, but never a mochi doughnut. The texture was familiar,
chewy and soft, and the cinnamon sugar was delicious, not too sweet, and a
nice dusting of cinnamon. Friendly service, too.
Well, if I couldn't find Prince Pizza, I could find Japadog. You have to admire the business model of a place that can charge upwards of $20 for a sausage in a bun. Not all their offerings are that costly -- my Yakisoba Dog, with tip, was a mere $13 and change. They also have fries, poutine, shaker fries, takoyaki, and yakisoba as a side order.
Service was amazing. I've never had or observed such wonderful service at a fast food stall in the GTA. It definitely sets a bar for other such places.
They have pork and beef sausages, fried chicken, and vegan and vegetarian options, although I'm not sure there is a separate grill, if you are that strict about such things. I got the vegetarian option.
IThe dog itself was interesting. It tasted like an Yves dog, although it was a bit longer than that. The yakisoba...was yakisoba. The only thing I didn't like was the five strands of pickled ginger on top, which was colourful, but added nothing to the taste of the experience.
Depositing my refuse, I saw a Prince Pizza slice take-out box sitting there. By Jove! They hadn't gone out of business! But where were they?
Heading out, I saw an electronic directory for The Well. A quick search told me it was upstairs somewhere. But full of mochi doughnut and Yakisoba dog, I couldn't bring myself to continue the search. A pizza for another day.
Overall, it looks like there's something for everyone in Wellington Market, and if you're in the area and can't think of anywhere else to visit, then you can do worse. Just don't expect a fine dining experience, just one that is a couple of notches above the average (remember these? Are you old?) shopping mall food court. read more