Holding the Super Fly noodle, one of this year’s new foods at CNE

The annual Canadian National Exhibition unofficially marks the end of the summer and kicks us off into the cooler autumn months.  In 2024, the CNE runs from August 16 to September 2 (Labour Day before the kids return to school).  We took a Monday off this year to visit the CNE (August 19) which was nice because it wasn’t crowded until after 5 p.m.  We parked on the CNE grounds ($40 flat parking fee) which was close to the Liberty Grand this year and very close proximity to the Kids World entrance.  We arrived at 10:30 a.m., the earliest we’ve made it to the CNE grounds.

Cloudy and chilly day this year at CNE

The Farm at CNE — being a farmer for a day, seeing the farm animals, and more

With an almost 4-year-old and 20-month-old toddler this year, our visit looked a little different than years past.  Firstly, we visited the CNE Farm inside the Better Living Centre for the first time where we saw goats, alpacas, horses, pigs (with twelve 11-day-old piglets), cows, and more.  Both kids did the Kids’ AgVenture activity which was an interactive area for the kids to be a “farmer for a day”.  They planted a seed, picked apples from a “tree”, harvested vegetables, collected eggs from a hen, milked a mechanical cow, and then “sold” their goods at the market where they got a ribbon and colouring book in the end.  There was also a tractor area for the kids to ride.  It was cute.

We did the corn maze and played a few games in the area next to it before we watched a cow being milked and learned some cow facts (did you know that a cow can make 30 litres of milk a day and drink a bathtub of water a day?).

These 2.5m tall giraffes were such a hit

As we headed our way to the Food Building (the main event for me always), we caught a glimpse of the tall colourful giraffes and paid the gallivanting giraffes a visit.  This was a really cute and fun encounter and the toddler loved it a lot.

The Food Building

Mac & Cheesery

We didn’t go for many of the new and zany food offerings this year at the CNE (though we did try a few).  Firstly, I dove headfirst for food that aligned with my cravings that day which was the Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese at Mac & Cheesery.  It was freshly grilled, really yummy, and came with crispy potato chips.

Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese. $11.50+tax = $13

Cross-section of the Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese

Philthy Philly’s

I ordered the 8 inch Philly Cheesesteak from Philthy Philly’s.  This sandwich didn’t look so great especially as I watched the staff assemble it, but it tasted good and was meaty and cheesy.  It comprised of steak, cheese, and sauce.

8 inch Philly Cheesesteak. $14.16+tax = $16

Smash City

One of the items on this year’s new food list was the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls which we got from Smash City.  This was really tasty and I can’t believe this is the “first time” someone made this.  It seems like such an unoriginal classic that should exist in many burger places.

Cheeseburger Spring Rolls. $9.95 for 2 pieces

Cross section of the Cheeseburger Spring Rolls

Black Camel

The hubs got the Slow Roasted Beef Brisket sandwich from the famed Black Camel.  It had a lot of sauteed cremini mushrooms in it which was nice.  The bun was very soft (so make sure you eat the sandwich quickly because I think it’ll turn soggy otherwise).

Slow Roasted Beef Brisket sandwich. $15.25

The hubs also couldn’t help but get 3 of the 99 cent tacos from Taqueria Burrito Bar once again (like we did last year).  They’re a soft corn tortilla taco with chicken or pulled pork, fresh shredded lettuce, and a choice of 1 salsa.

Taqueria Burrito Bar

The 99 cent taco (three pictured). $0.99 each

Super Noodle Company

We got the Super Fly from Super Noodle Company, one of the new items on this year’s CNE food list.  It’s a bowl of double air-dried noodles with super sauce, soy marinated egg, a choice of two meats/protein, and “unlimited” toppings that you can choose from a list.  It’s a gimmicky thing because the noodles are made to “fly” by using….  or maybe I shouldn’t reveal the secret and you should order it to see how they make it yourself haha.  For the two proteins, we chose the “Korean beef ragu” and the “hot diggity dog” (which was torched with a blow torch).  We chose all of the toppings to be added except for the chili crunch and sweet chili takis to avoid spice so that the kids could eat it too.

Super Fly. $22+tax = $24.86
(we paid in cash and it was only $22)

I have to say although the menu description says the toppings are “unlimited”, it’s not like we would go back to add more toppings for a refill — so I guess it’s just you get to choose whatever toppings you want (but we filled in the order form and it’s not like we asked the person for more of certain toppings either) — all this to say that the word “unlimited” doesn’t really seem accurate here.

The noodles were actually really good and tasty.  It was a big hefty bowl.  This is something savory that I definitely would crave on certain days.  It’s not cheap for $22 but definitely one of those CNE food hypes to try (if you’re into Asian-style saucy noodles).

Caf-Eh TO

Last but not least (for lunch), we got the Wasabi Ice Cream from Caf-Eh TO.  In previous years, we tried the ketchup ice cream (which my mom enjoyed but I thought was weird-tasting).  This Wasabi Ice Cream adds yet another unique flavour to the ice cream lineup at the CNE.  The soft serve ice cream was sprinkled with nori flakes and some crunchy orange balls on top of a charcoal cone.  The ice cream was actually really true to its flavour of wasabi!  It was very unique.  I only tried a few spoons so I can’t say I truly enjoyed it, but you definitely can’t lick/eat too much of it at once because you have to let the “burn” kind of subside first.

Wasabi Ice Cream. $12 including tax

Kiddie Midway, Little Explorers, car engine play

Next, we visited the CNE Fire Hall where we won a prize from spinning the wheel and answering a question about fire safety, took a photo at the photobooth, got some freebies, and hopped in the driver seat of the fire truck for a photo.

The older child rode on some rides in the Kiddie Midway for the first time (she wasn’t scared at all this time other than last-minute jumping out of the line at the Wacky Worm Coaster).  She rode on the Dizzy Dogs, Dizzy Dragon, and one of the Merry Go Rounds with her sister.

They played at the playground and then spent a considerable amount of time at the Little Explorers gazebo.  The toddler was so into the grocery shopping and taking items off the shelves to put into her shopping cart.  I liked that the CNE staff played along with the kids too by “checking out” their items.

There was a neat activity where the kids were able to play with and build car toy engines too.  I thought this was a very educational and unique activity.  I really appreciated that the male attendant here was so gentle and helpful with the kids.  My 20-month-old toddler clearly didn’t know how to build a car engine or use the toy screwdrivers, but he was so patient to guide her.  It was very endearing to see. 😍

Pho 88 | Vietnamese Grill

To avoid rush hour traffic back home, we stayed at the CNE longer and went back to the Food Building for more food.  I can’t believe I did this, but I actually bought a bowl of pho from Pho 88 | Vietnamese Grill. 😂🤣 I mean it’s so overpriced at $20 at the CNE but it was the only thing I wanted to eat.  We already had had three sandwiches/burgers earlier in the day and we didn’t plan on seeking out the deep-fried butter chicken lasagna (the only other food I was curious about) so pho was it.  The Beef Flank Pho (I wanted rare beef but they were sold out of it) completely satisfied my craving.  The pho noodles were a good texture and plentiful and the broth was very umami (so much so that I drank all of it).  The beef flank, despite the staff telling me it was very soft and tender, could have been more tender in my opinion.

Beef Flank Pho. $17.69+tax = $20

The hubs got 3 cabbage rolls for $8 from The Perogy Chef.  The cabbage roll was satisfying but not as big as the one we got two years ago from Supreme Pierogies Inc.

The Perogy Chef

3 cabbage rolls. $8

My mom wanted an ice cold cup of lemonade from Terry’s Old-Fashioned Lemonade to wash down all of the greasy food we got from earlier in the day.  It was super hydrating and a perfect combination of sweet and sour.

Terry’s Old-Fashioned Lemonade

Regular lemonade (16oz). $7

Reid’s Dairy ice cream stand

Before we left CNE around 8 p.m., we settled for a final treat:  a vanilla ice cream cone from one of the Reid’s Dairy ice cream stands (hubs wanted one of the classic $5 ice cream sandwiches in the midway but we didn’t even head in that direction at all this year).  The vanilla cone was creamy and rich.  It was unfortunately a cooler day when we visited (under 20 degrees), so I didn’t feel like eating much ice cream this year (unlike last year where we had three different ice cream treats).

Vanilla ice cream cone. $6 including tax

And that wraps up our visit to the CNE in 2024!  I can’t believe how quickly this year’s CNE outing rolled in; it didn’t feel like that long ago that we were here in 2023.

Because of our growing kids and their own preferences to choose to play in whatever they want this year, we spent more time with them at various play stations and activities than wandering the CNE grounds to visit places we adults would have liked to see (like watching a live show at the Coca-Cola Coliseum or browse the Enercare Centre or marvel at the midway games).  I was grateful that the toddler fell asleep for a nap during our entire lunch so that we could at least eat in relative peace though.  It was a tame visit but still a good one.

Here are some of the vendors with interesting items that we didn’t try:

Giant samosa. $22.95

Egg Club sandwiches

Tanghulu mochi donut from O-Mochi

Deep fried cookie dough from Cookie Dough Me

Korean sausage dogs

Karaage soft shell crab on a stick from Farm to Fryer is their newest offering this year

I was tempted to try the Cheeseburger Poutine initially

Ramen at the CNE

Something I noticed this year:  Most of the staff attendants working at the food vendors are young and could use more training in mannerisms and professionalism.  There were at least three attendants who were talking to someone else while they were taking the order from me.  It made me feel very invisible and like I wasn’t valued as a customer.  I understand it’s just a part-time summer job for them, but it would be nice to see some respect even during a simple transaction.