Johnny's Hamburgers

There's nothing like a juicy, hot and freshly made hamburger at 2 in the morning, am I right? One sunny afternoon, my friend and
I decided to visit the popular burger joint, sandwiched between two busy plazas on Victoria Park Avenue just south of Sheppard. It was right about lunch time and
the place was already jam packed with hungry patrons waiting for their orders. With a variety of burgers on the menu such as the Banquet Burger and veal on a bun.

We decided to go with the Lunch Combo special which included a Hamburger, fries and a large soft drink. For only $5.75, it was well worth it. The Hamburger (3/5), featured a somewhat juicy patty that was grilled to perfection. Flavour wise, it was average, and with the plethora of toppings it made the
bun soggy. The Fries (3/5) were
fairly average as well. Just in
 between slighty crispy and soggy.
The 'Large' drink was more like
a small, but decent for the price.
Johnny's Hamburgers is definitely
the go-to place to satisfy a good,
cheap burger craving. The place
almost reminds me of Square Boy
in the Danforth, minus the quarter
chicken meals and gyros.

Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant

Located in a busy Chinese Plaza, tucked away in
the far left corner, Gourmet Vegetarian Restaurant can easily be missed, so keep an eye out, but first keep an eye out for a parking spot
as there aren't many.

Other than eating Dimsum in Scarborough and Markham most of the time, my grandma brought up a place she used to go all the time. With limited seating, suitable for about 50 people, this place did get really busy both times we were here. You can order straight from their Dim Sum menu or their menu which offers a variety of noodles, fried rice, soups and vegetarian dishes.




We started off with the Deep Fried Taro 
Patties  (4/5), which were wrapped in
beancurd. If you love Taro, you will absolutely LOVE this dish. As a Taro fan myself, these were fried to a  perfect crisp and were loaded with Taro that was piping hot. There was
definitely no absence of Taro here. These were even better dipped in the Sweet & Sour Sauce that came with the dish.

We saw a few other fellow diners ordering the Vegetable Fried Rice Noodle (4/5) and we immediately knew why. Although it may look fairly simple to make, it was delicious. Loaded with tons of crunchy bean sprouts, chinese mushrooms, parsley, carrots and green onions, the colours and taste of this dish were vibrant. The sweetness of the veggies were a perfect
compliment to the soft rice noodles.


The Fried Dough Fritter Stuffed Rice Noodle (1/5), was just sad. I was disappointed at the
fact that they would even serve such a poorly executed dish to anyone like that. The whole thing was more like a deconstructed rice noodle than a supposedly stuffed one. The rice noodle
was very thick and slimy for some reason, possibly the reason why it was falling apart. Such a shame, as the dough fritter was crispy.







Somewhat of a disappointment as well,
the Pan Fried Bean Curd Roll Stuffed with
Vegetables (3/5) were lacking veggies on the inside. There were a few strands
of carrots, chinese mushrooms and pieces
of celery, but overall it was too thin in my
opinion, resulting in a very chewy and
slightly crispy exterior.








 We enjoyed the Pan Fried Vegetable Stuffed
Bun (3/5), but felt like it should've
been called a Mushroom stuffed Bun, as
it was stuffed with a plethora of Mushrooms
ranging from Shiitake and WoodEar resulting
in a satisfying crunchy interior. The Bun itself
was a tad too greasy, but nonetheless it
was definitely tasty!

The Vegetable Spring Rolls (4/5) were
definitely one of the best ones I've ever
had. Stuffed with mushroom, carrots and
cabbage, these were super crispy without
the wrapper being too thick.

I did enjoy my visit and I will come
back to try their other vegetarian dishes.

RECIPE: Corned Beef Hash

While I enjoy going out in search of
good eats, I also enjoy cooking!
I will start posting a few of my favourite recipes to share with you all so stay tuned!


This week's dish is one that I grew up eating, whether for Sunday morning brunch, or for dinner. It's simple and easy to make, and super delicious!


This Recipe serves more than 5 people and takes less 45 minutes.












Ingredients:

• 5 Yukon Gold Potatoes (Any type works fine, I prefer Yukon as they taste sweeter)
• 1/2 Can of Corned Beef (Any Brand works fine)
•  Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper 
• 2 Tbsp Oil

Directions:

• Wash & Peel Potatoes
• Boil Potatoes until they are fork tender. Add a pinch of salt.
• Drain Potatoes
• Preheat a large pan, and add Oil
• Add 1/2 of Corned Beef & mince using Spatula
• In another Bowl, mash potatoes until they are in small chunks
• Once the Corned Beef is golden brown, add in Potatoes.
• Mix the Corned Beef with the Potatoes and flatten using spatula.
• Add Cracked Black Pepper and Salt to Taste.
• To ensure crispiness, mix the Corned Beef and Potatoes again and flatten the mixture.
• Once the mixture is golden brown, it's ready to eat!

Great when eaten with eggs and avocado!

Shanghai's on the Norwegian Getaway

Every night on the cruise, guests would receive a guide to the next day's activities also known as the Freestyle Daillies. I enjoy reading these before I go to sleep, so I know if there is something I should wake up bright and early to attend, such as the morning jog around the track ( No I did not attend haha). It also lists the complimentary and specialty restaurants and where they are located on board the ship. Little did I realize, Shanghai's, which used to be a specialty restaurant, which denotes a fee, was now complimentary. Of course I had to try! One thing that was odd to me, was that they opened at 5:30 pm and not lunch as well. Anyways, we
got there right at 5:25 and noticed a small lineup already and were quickly ushered to our seats. The noodle bar itself is not big, therefore it tends to fill up quite quickly.








We started off with the Pork Pot Stickers (3/5)
which could be ordered Steamed or Fried. We
went with the Fried which was nice and crispy without being too greasy. The filling was a mixture of pork and cabbage, which complimented the ginger-soy dipping sauce well. We didn't expect too much in terms of authenticity but these were ones that could be had at some dumpling spots in Toronto.









The Vegetable Spring Roll (4/5) was great, loaded with crunchy cabbage, carrots, and bean sprouts. It arrived piping hot and crispy which we enjoyed. At this time we noticed the long line of guests waiting to be seated while there were essentially not enough servers and wait staff.

The Steamed Shrimp Dumplings (1.5/5) were just not good at all. I did somewhat expect the Shrimp Dumplings (Har Gow) you would find at dim sum joints rather than these. The filling consisted of very soft and mushy shrimp, which was quite unpleasant to eat. The wrapper was thick and doughy, and the accompanying plum
sauce didn't do much justice.










Another dish that we did not enjoy, was the
Spicy Seafood Udon Noodles (2/5). The noodles
 were chewy and very doughy, unlike normal
udon noodles. The soup was just spicy from
the chili oil, and had no seafood taste at all.
 It was topped off with some shrimp and crab
meat as well as nappa cabbage. I can't see them
charging the original price of $5.50 for this,
especially when you could spend that amount
on many other things on the cruise.



My sister tends to be the pickiest when it comes
to food in my family. She'll eat it if it tastes the way she likes it and she could eat it all. Before she could devour all of it in a mere minute or two, I had to grab a bite of the Beef Chow Fun (3/5). Again, my expectations were a bit too high, as I expected the dish to taste and look like the Beef Chow Fun you could get at Chinese Restaurants. Although it didn't look, or taste like
the Beef Chow Fun I was expecting, it was pretty good in my books. The noodles were thinner, but were not chewy and cooked perfectly. There were slivers of thin sliced beef, shitake mushrooms and egg which complimented
the dish very well. It had more of a sweet soy sauce taste to it, rather than being salty.




I was actually really looking forward to the Glass Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables (2/5)  because they go well with everything, including steamed oysters! Mmmm yum.....
Well, another disappointment, as the glass noodles were just too hard and barely cooked.
There was nothing 'rich' about the broth like
advertised on the menu. I enjoyed the chicken and the shitake mushrooms though.


Out of the three fried rice choices, we went
with the Combination Fried Rice (3/5), which
was loaded with a adequate amount of shrimp,
diced BBQ Pork, peas, scallions and carrots.
This was well executed, as the rice was soft with
a slight chew, and surprisingly there was a significant
 amount of wok heat evident.


The dishes we've tried at Shanghai's were just
 okay, especially for a non authentic joint. I do
 recommend it, if you want to try something
different and the portions aren't that big either
so it was great to try a little bit of everything.
I do suggest coming early to, because they don't
take reservations and being a small restaurant
on board, it tends to fill up very quickly.

Dinner at Congee Queen (Hwy 7 and Leslie Location)

Congee Queen is one of my go-to spots for lunch. With locations scattered around the GTA, they offer an affordable variety of Chinese, as well as Thai and Vietnamese options. My family and I decided that we head over to Congee Queen one night for dinner. This time, we decided to visit their fairly new (Hwy 7 and Leslie) Location, right by the 404 in Richmond Hill.

While browsing the 'Hot Picks' menu, the Tiger Shrimp tossed in Custard Sauce (2/5) caught our eye. The Shrimp wasn't 'tossed' in the Custard Sauce as advertised which made us quite disappointed as some pieces were lacking in sauce. The shrimp was nice and crispy which we enjoyed. The custard sauce drizzled on top was really just mayo.

We decided on the Two Assorted BBQ Combo (3/5) , which included Roasted Duck and BBQ Pork. The Roasted Duck was beautifully prepared in my opinion where there was little to almost no fat and the skin was not soggy at all. The meat was moist and not dry. The BBQ pork was great as well, as it wasn't too fatty or chewy. The soy sauce on the bottom made the meat taste overly salty which I didn't enjoy, as I would've preferred to have it on the side. Maybe next time I'll ask for that.

I'm a sucker for anything in a Hot Pot. Even rice in a clay hot pot. With 9 varieties to choose from, and more than 10 long minutes of deciding, I decided to go with the Chicken and Chinese Mushroom with Rice in Hot Pot (3.5/5). The large pieces of chicken were moist, but had very big pieces of bone still attached. Most restaurants I've been to, tend to use boneless chicken which would've made it easier to eat. Nonetheless it was tasty, especially the Chinese mushrooms which added a nice smokiness to the dish. The rice was aromatic from the chicken and Chinese mushrooms.

The Beef with Mushroom On a Sizzling Plate (3/5) arrived piping hot and sizzling as advertised. The large pieces of beef were tender and not chewy at all. The caramelized onions were sweet and flavourful, while the mushrooms exhibited a nice texture and weren't too soft. Oh man pair this dish with a bowl of rice...

Also on their special menu, was the Golden Milk Pudding (4.5/5). My goodness these were delicious! Creamy, Smooth and full of milk flavour, these are definitely a must try! These weren't too soft which I enjoyed. Something about the rich milk flavour makes this dish so tasty, I couldn't stop eating them. Yes Yes, I know these can be easily made at home, but something about these make them a must try.












Something that can be easily made at home that I
wouldn't have again here is the Fresh Mango Pudding (1.5/5). Texturally, it was nice and smooth, but really it was the average mango pudding you find at a dim sum spot. The taste was pretty generic and I expected some pieces of Mango as it was called Fresh Mango Pudding. For $3.99, I'd rather add an extra dollar for another order of the Golden Milk Pudding.




The food at Congee Queen can be consistent at most times which is great. It can also get quite busy during lunch and dinner hours, so be prepared for a short wait (Depending on the Location). The staff at the locations I've visited are nice which is a plus.


The Good:

• Not a long wait for Food
• Everything was at the right temperature
• Spacious

The Bad:

• Food can be inconsistent at times

Dimsum at Health Gourmet

Before I start this post off, I'd like to wish 

everyone a Happy New Year! Hope all of you

have a healthy and safe year with your family and loved

ones and most importantly eat lots of food! 

~ Tiffany.  

Saturday Afternoon Dim Sum in my family can never be missed even when there is an hour long wait for a table. When we found out our go to Dim Sum spot was renovating for the week, we quickly thought of a new place we could try. My mom suggested Health Gourmet, located in a Strip Mall by Midland and Finch. Health Gourmet prides themselves for serving food with 'NO MSG'. I guess we had to see for ourselves!

I don't often talk about the decor of the restaurants I visit in my blog posts, but man I was really questioning whether or not I was in Restaurant when I walked in. I don't even know how to describe it...mint
green walls, white curtains, odd
paintings.....Maybe I was too used to the typical Chinese Restaurant look.

The Dim Sum menu here is quite confusing as there are two set prices for let's say, the Steamed Chicken Feet. Apparently one is the regular price while the other is the price for
'VIP Club Members'. Really?!?! I guess that's one way they could get customers coming back.

We ordered the Durian Custard Pastry (3.5/5) ,which was recommended to us by our server. The pastry was very flaky as you
can see from the picture. It was a tad too oily, but nonetheless the durian custard was nice and creamy. Thankfully the Durian flavour was strong and didn't taste artificial at all.


The Deep Fried Squid Tentacles (2.5/5), arrived piping hot. These looked like they were well seasoned, but boy was I wrong. Oh yeah these were well seasoned....with a whole ton of SALT! At least they had a nice bouncy texture which was a tiny bit enjoyable.


 
The Beef Rice Noodle Roll (Cheung Fun) (1.5/5), is an item that is a must for my family at any Dim Sum restaurant. To be honest, I've never had Beef Rice Noodle Roll that tasted like this...the taste was just unusual. The Rice Noodle Roll was too thick, while the beef had this very unpleasant beefy, somewhat gamey taste. Yes there was garlic and onions but oh man not even the soy sauce could hinder
 the strong gamey taste.

I was glad the Deep Fried Spring Rolls (3/5), made the appearance next as they were fried beautifully golden brown. As expected, these were very crispy and piping hot. The filling consisted of the typical ground
beef and taro which was a tad too salty,
but overall it was a dish I enjoyed.

Next up, the Steamed Beef Tendon with Garlic Sauce (2.5/5), arrived lukewarm to the touch. Ordering from a Dim Sum menu and not from Push Carts I expected everything to arrive HOT, not Warm. Sigh, at least these were nice and tender. The garlic sauce didn't really provide much flavour which was pretty disappointing.

As soon as these arrived, I was praying that they didn't use the same beef mixture to make these as they did for the Beef Rice Noodle Roll. Welp, these tasted exactly, if not worse than the ones in the Rice Noodle Roll. These Steamed Beef Balls (1/5), were massive, but I mean not matter what size you make them, the taste is all that really matters. These had the same gamey
taste except with no Rice Noodle
Roll to somewhat mask the flavour. They put bamboo shoots in the mixture for the crunch, but ultimately these were not enjoyable for me. I guess there are some people who enjoy the gamey taste, but I for one do not.

The Steamed Chiu Chow Style Dumplings (Fun Gor) (2.5/5), were a huge disappointment as well. The dumpling skin was very thick, as you can from the picture. Normally these are supposed to be transparent where you can see the filling inside.
The filling consisted of ground pork,
onions, bamboo shoots, and onions
 and once again was too salty.


The Steamed Chicken Feet (3/5),
was very flavourful and fall off the bone tender. There was no gamey taste at all, surprisingly... Thankfully these were enjoyable.

The Sui Mai (2.5/5), looked rather unappealing. I mean the tobiko on top could've been taken off if you were to use such a tiny amount. Anyways, these were quite substantial as the pork and shrimp were nice and tender and it wasn't too salty for my tastes. The Shrimp had a nice bouncy texture.

We were still quite hungry after so we ordered the Shredded Pork and Vegetable Chow Mein (2.5/5). I loved how they seperated the noodles from the sauce to ensure
that the noodles wouldn't get soogy
and would stay crispy. The sauce
was rather thin, which ended up to
be very watery at the end which we did not enjoy. The bean sprouts and carrots added a nice crunch while the pork was tender.



Claiming to have absolutely 'NO MSG' in their food, I really question
that as most of the items we tried were rather salty. Maybe their substitute for the MSG is a whole ton of salt!

Based on the items we tried, our
trip to Health Gourmet was pretty
disappointing and I definitely won't be coming back again. Not to mention, the small tea pot we had was dirty with food and sauce stains on it. The cups also had a funky dish wash/toilet smell to it as well. I know....YUCK! I really hope they step up their game ASAP as their food lacks in quality, especially if they are charging more than the average dim sum spot and charging
'VIP Club Members' a monthly amount.

The Good:

• Lots of Parking Spots

The Bad:

• Based on the items we tried, Food lacks Quality
• Pricey
• Dirty Tea Pot and Cups

Oliver & Bonacini Café Grill (Bayview Village)

A friend of mine recommended me to try out O&B Cafe Grill for quite sometime now and after doing some Christmas Shopping at the Mall, we decided to stop by their Bayview Village location.

 Thankfully on this busy Christmas Eve, they had a table for 5. My sister ordered the Fettucine Alfredo (3/5), made with egg noodles, Parmigiano-Reggiano cream and peas, topped with roasted chicken. For $16, this was a fairly decent portion. The noodles were nice and tender, but I was not a fan of the sauce as it was tasteless. The chicken was quite dry as well and the peas were hard.

Both my mom and brother had the Sunday Special [$23], which was a Roasted Black Angus Strip Loin, with Yorkshire pudding, Buttermilk mash and Pan gravy (3.5/4). The strip loin was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and was juicy and tender. As you can see from the picture there was a layer of fat that had to be taken off. You can also see the burnt baby carrot on the left, I mean this ain't no 5 star restaurant but how could you miss that ?! The buttermilk mash was nice and creamy and the Yorkshire pudding was crispy and very moist on the inside. We had to ask for more of the Pan gravy, as the dish was kind of dry.

I had the AAA Canadian Cheeseburger (3.5/5) [$17], which came with a huge pile of Yukon Gold Fries. Although I asked for it to be cooked to a medium rare, it came almost to a well done, but was still very juicy. It had a nice char on it, which I enjoyed. The fries were crispy and thick. I would've liked it if the bun was topped with sesame seeds.











My dad had the Piri Piri Half Chicken (3.5/5) [$24] with Roasted New Potatoes, Spinach, Artichokes, Tomatoes and Zucchini. There was an option for mild or spicy, and my dad opted for the spicy. The Chicken came on a sizzling hot plate, that did not sizzle at all when it arrived. The Chicken was overcooked and dry in some areas, while it was moist and juicy in others. The chicken and potatoes were both aggressively seasoned which my dad wasn't a fan of as it made him want to drink water every 10 seconds.


For Dessert, we decided to try
the Four Tasting's of Chef's Favourite Desserts (3/5) [$15.25] which consisted of a Mini S'more, Lemon Posset, Carrot Cake & little Eton Mess. My favourite out of the four would have to be the Carrot Cake as it was light without being too sweet. The Eton Mess on the top left was tasty as the Toasted Meringue added a nice crunch. The S'more was a tad too sweet in opinion, especially with the toasted marshmallow on top and the berry compote. The Lemon Posset looked very good, but I was disappointed instantly when I put my spoon in and noticed how watered down it was. Instead of a nice creamy, smooth custard like texture, this was

literally like liquid milk and I could move my spoon around no problem.
There were no traces of lemon either except for the zest on top. I would like to give it a rating of (1/5), because honestly it was that bad.

We had two scoops of the Passion Fruit Sorbet (3/5) [$7.25], which had a better consistency than the Posset did. The flavours were very strong which I enjoyed.


The food my family and I had here was quite substantial, and definitely did not wow us. For the price, we did expect a little more presentation
as well as consistency, I mean who
wants a half an inch of fat clinging on to their meat?
Or burnt baby carrots? Small fixes would've
done the job. The staff were friendly, but we did
have to ask 3 people to fill our water as they forgot.

The Good:

• Nice Vibe
• Spacious

The Bad:

• Need to be more consistent
• Food is quite average
• Pricey for the quality

Miller Tavern (Hogg's Hollow Yonge Location)

 Miller Tavern has been around for many years, with locations in the heart of Downtown Toronto on Bloor, and North York. After a shopping trip at IKEA that was close by, we were fairly hungry,  and wanted to catch the Leafs game so we decided to stop by Miller Tavern for Lunch.


To start, we had the Miller Lamb Poutine (3/5). 
Aside from the fact that the fries were crispy and
were made out of Yukon Gold Potatoes, there was
absolutely nothing special about this dish. Not that I was hoping there to be something special anyways....but for the $12 price tag..this most certainly was not worth it. The lamb was dry and chewy and and the cheese curds were not squeaky at all. The lamb gravy had no taste and was fairly bland. For $12, I could've gotten 3 even tastier poutines at New York Fries... Just Saying.....
But hey at least the Leafs were winning!

The Tenderloin Steak Kebab with grilled vegetables, pecan wild rice and avocado yogurt sauce (4/5) was a great hit. The 10 oz tenderloin steak was grilled to perfection, slightly charred on the outside, while maintaining it's tender and juicy medium rare interior. The grilled vegetables were tasty, although I would've preferred bigger pieces, as they were sliced quite thin. The pecan rice was decent, but was chewier for my tastes. Loved the avocado yogurt as it was both light and refreshing.












Both my siblings decided to go with a burger each, starting off with the Miller Burger (3.5/5), made with freshly ground beef, topped with aged cheddar, smoked bacon and caramelized onions. The patty was thick with a decent char on the outside. Although slightly overcooked, it was still juicy. My sister was not a fan of the tiny piece of smoked bacon, but the caramelized onions were nice and added a nice sweetness to the burger. she opted for the Sweet Potato Fries (3/5) instead of the regular
yukon gold fries and was quite disappointed because it was soggy and not quite crispy at all.

My brother on the other hand, went with the
Cheeseburger (4/5), which was much better than
the Miller Burger. Made with the same thick fresh ground beef patty, this was charred nicely on the grill and was cooked to a perfect medium rare making it more juicy. My brother decided to stick with the Yukon Gold Fries, and they were pretty average, like the ones in the Lamb Poutine. They were definitely crispier than the Sweet Potato Fries which are a plus.

My mom had the Chicken Penne (3.5/5), which
was quite tasty. The pasta was cooked to a perfect
al dente, and there was enough sauce to ensure it
wasn't dry. The chicken was juicy, but out of the whole dish, we only found like two pieces. This was
quite substantial, but it did the job.

My family absolutely loves deserts, especially
cheesecake, so we got two to share. The Berry Cheesecake (4/5), was creamy and smooth, while
maintaining it's soft texture. The berry compote
topping wasn't too sweet, so it didn't overpower
the taste of the cheesecake. The cheesecake itself
was light, so it wasn't very overwhelming. The graham crust was so not thick either, but still ensured that the bottom was not soggy.

The Raspberry Sorbet (4/5), was light and refreshing without being too overly sweet. It had the right amount of tartness, and was bursting with flavour. For $7.50, I would say it was quite pricey, but nonetheless it was a great way to end the meal.

The Deep Dish Peanut Butter Pie (3/5), was too sweet for our liking. Composed of a cookie crust, the pie had a Reese's peanut butter cup flavour filling which was quite tasty, but really it was one
of the sweetest deserts I've ever had. I think everyone needed an extra glass of water after this. The brown butter Bourbon Creme anglaise was light, but it didn't really add much as the whole pie itself was overpowering with it's sweetness.

The Vanilla Creme Brûlée (4/5), was much better as it wasn't overly sweet and was nice and smooth. The sugar crust on top was very well done as it wasn't too thick and cracked with the touch of the spoon. The vanilla custard had a slight bitter taste to it which I enjoyed as it balanced the sweetness.

The Banana Caramel Crunch (3/5), on the otherhand, was not that great.  Composed of popcorn and a scoop of vanilla icecream topped with bananas, caramel syrup and a layer of chocolate, this was quite disappointing. The popcorn was soggy and chewy due to the large amount of caramel syrup, and overall it did not have that crunch the way it was advertised. For $8.50 this was totally not worth it, and I am glad it is only on their seasonal menu.












Miller Tavern is a decent place for a quick bite, especially if you're looking for a nice steak or fresh seafood. Their servers are very friendly and the seating is cozy. It is quite pricey, but the ambiance makes up for it.




The Good:

• Portions are Decent
• Servers are Friendly

The Bad:

•  Quite Pricey
• Food is inconsistent at times

Costco

My family absolutely loves Costco. I mean, how can you not like free samples and wonton noodle soup sold in bulk? Seriously, those must've been the worst wontons I've ever tasted, by the way.
After our weekly shopping trip at Costco, we would ALWAYS stop by for a snack.



We decided to get the Poutine (4/5), as we were craving their fries.... and what's not to love that's covered in hot gravy? The fries here at Costco are absolutely delicious. If you have not tried the french fries at Costco, I suggest you immediately catch the next flight to the closest destination with one. Crispy, piping hot, these are #1 on my list. These aren't the fries that get soggy after 30 minutes or so. They retain it's extra crunchy exterior while being fluffy on the inside. The gravy on top was nice and hot, and it wasn't salty at all. Definitely went great with the fries. The cheese curds on top could've been melted a bit more, but these squeaky curds were a delight.

 We also decided to have the Chicken Strips & Fries (4.5/5). For $5.99, this was a heck of a deal. There were 5 big pieces of crispy fried chicken strips in this massive portion, along with their ever so tasty fries. The chicken strips were juicy and crunchy, not dry at all. The fries were hot and potatoey, just the way it's supposed to be done.







Costco's Food court is definitely a place to check out, if you like a decent and quick bite. Their hotdogs are quite tasty too, for only $1.50 and a fountain drink. If you want to satisfy your sweet tooth, they also have a selection of sundaes and ice cream which are creamy and smooth.

Congee Queen

Congee Queen has been opened for many years that I know of, and ever since they have over 6 locations around the GTA. The locations I frequent most is the McCowan/Hwy 7 and Leslie/Hwy 7 Location. Most recently they opened a new location right by Centerpoint Mall on Yonge/Steeles, so
we decided to check it out.

Being at Congee Queen, we must order a bowl of
Congee. Our go-to is the Pork Meatball and Liver Congee (4/5). The Congee itself had a nice consistency as it was neither too thick or too watery. It was flavourful, with the addition of Pork Meatballs and Liver which are great for dipping in Soy Sauce. They do not skimp on the ingredients as you can see in the picture.

A favourite of ours when we visit Congee Queen would be the Fried Chili Turnip Patties (4/5). These are pretty popular at Congee Queen as you can see them on almost every table. I've tried these at 4/6 locations, and I honestly have to say there are some differences. One chef let's say, might be heavy on the chili's while another isn't. Although there are differences, they are small and these tasty patties are always executed properly. At this particular location, this was done right, as the Turnip Patties were Crispy and there was a decent amount of Chili's, meat and egg. This wasn't very spicy which was nice and it was seasoned well.

Another favourite of ours, would be the Deep Fried Crab Claw (4.5/5). This isn't like the average crab claw you would have at Chinese Weddings or events. These are HUGE! I have pretty big hands and all I can say is these are are big as my fist. These always arrive crisp and piping hot!











They do not skimp on the shrimp and crab meat, which is always tender. Add a little Vinegar and you're good to go!

The Beef Brisket and Tendon Lo-Mein (4/5) is another must order here at Congee Queen. With a choice of Thick or Thin Noodles (We usually pick the Thick), these go great with the succulent and tender brisket. The noodles were cooked to perfection as it wasn't chewy or mushy. The tendon is not overly soft or chewy and is always flavourful. The accompanying Wonton Soup was not overly salty.

 The Malaysian Fried Rice (3.5/5), smelled really good as it arrived to the table. The ingredients such as the minced beef and vegetables added a nice textural contrast as well as flavour, as the dish was not too salty. The taste reminded me of Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice, minus the salted fish. It was a bit on the oilier side, but nonetheless this was good.











Congee Queen is a great place for decent Chinese Food. They also have items such as Pho and Pad Thai which are definitely worth a try next time. Their service is quick and friendly and seating is usually always available, depending on which location you go to. (Centrepoint Mall and Hwy 7/ Leslie Locations are more spacious).


The Good:

• Great place for Decent Chinese Food
• Congee is not too watery or thick
• Quick and Friendly Service

 The Bad:

•