Vietnam Noodle Star

It was a cold, summer night....Yup, you read that right! Cold!
This 'Summer' hasn't really felt like Summer to me. I love the Sun, heat warnings and warm nights...not the cold! Anyways, I was craving for some Pho and being right by one of my favourite places to get some, you know I HAD to stop by!
Located in an Asian Strip Mall on Finch/Midland Ave, Vietnam Noodle Star, has been in the business for almost 3 decades. That's when you know there is something special about the place.
Vietnam Noodle Star features a fairly decent menu, composed of
Vietnamese and Thai favourites such as Pho (Which I came for), Lemongrass Chicken,
Bian Hoi, Satay, Pad Thai and variety of snacks. With many tables and seats, the wait
is usually pretty short, depending on what time you go. Usually busier later on at night,
as they close at 12am. Let's get to the food shall we :)

With a variety of toppings and noodles to choose from, we decided to go with a bowl of Lemongrass Chicken Pho. Burning my tongue hot, the broth was rich and mildy sweet. The broth wasn't very salty and exhibited a nice aromatic taste. The Lemongrass chicken was tender and  still maintained it's crispiness and displayed a nice lemongrass flavour. We got the fresh noodles, which made this even more amazing as it was not overly soft and it went well with the broth and chicken.

Next up, we got one of my favourites, that being the Sliced Cooked Beef Pho. Arriving scorching hot,
the broth was just as good with the right level of rich and mildy sweet flavour. With a generous amount, the sliced cooked beef was deliciously tender and flavourful. We ordered the same fresh noodles, which once again, went well with the broth and the beef. The green and white onions add a boost of flavour to the broth which makes it even more tasty!










Vietnam Noodle Star is a great place for Pho and other Vietnamese and Thai favourites. I love how they don't skimp on the toppings and noodles, and really, it's a bang for your buck. The service here is okay, I mean it's a busy restaurant and the people just keep on coming! I know I'll be back for sure to try some other items on the menu!

Da Fu Seafood Cuisine

Just recently I've heard friends and family talk about their favourite places to get some Dimsum. Now, being the type of person I am, always on the hunt for some good food, I had to get in on this conversation!
A Majority of them recommended Da Fu Seafood Cuisine located right in the plaza on Steeles/Middlefield Road beside Milliken Park. With lots of parking and T&T right on the opposite end, I decided to spend my glorious Thursday afternoon there.

Instead of using Push-Carts, Da Fu lets you order off their DimSum menu, which I find great in a way, as the food that comes out will almost always be fresh, instead of sitting on the push-carts for quite sometime. This also lets you order exactly what you want without the possibility of  missing some of your DimSum favourites on Push-Carts. (We've all had that happened to us before)



First to arrive, were these massive Steamed Beef Balls (3/5). These were pretty decent, as they arrived piping hot. The beef was nice and soft with a nice bite and there were notable hints of Spring onion. I would've liked a bit more flavour, as they were pretty bland and instead of using Napa Cabbage at the bottom while steaming, I would've preferred the traditional
bean curd. The Worchestershire sauce helped make these more enjoyable to eat.

Up next, the Deep Fried Squid Tentacles (3.5/5) arrived piping hot once again. Right off the bat, these looked and were extremely greasy, as they were glistening from the amount of oil. Aside from the grease, these were crispy and full of Five Spice Flavour. These had a nice snap as well and were tender. After finishing these though, we noticed the puddle of oil which kind of made me regret eating like 4 pcs, haha.

Another greasy dish to arrive, were the Shrimp Paste Stuffed Eggplant (3.5/5). These were quite tasty, as the giant pieces of eggplant were not fried to the point where they were mushy and still retained it's flavour, and the shrimp paste had a nice bouncy snap to it. The Black bean sauce didn't do much justice as it was more oil infused than anything else. Other than that, these were bigger than most Shrimp Paste Stuffed Eggplant dishes I've tried at other Restaurants such as Ginger & Onion and Perfect Chinese Cuisine.

We were glad these Steamed BBQ Pork Buns (4/5) arrived next, after having two extremely greasy dishes in a row! Man, were these fantastic! Fully loaded  as you can see, bursting out of the bun, these were filled with large pieces of BBQ Pork! The bun was soft, and the sweetness from the BBQ Pork made each bite superb! These are a must try here at Da Fu! They don't skimp on the BBQ Pork!

Another must try at Da Fu, are these Steamed Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce (4/5). Loaded with diced garlic and notable amounts of Chili and black bean (Underneath), these were very flavourful and addicting. Yes...Chicken Feet. The skin and meat on the Chicken Feet were fall off the bone tender and you could definitely taste a kick from the Chili at the end. One thing though, was that the Chicken Feet was not a whole piece, meaning it was cut up so that you were eating a quarter of half of the Chicken Feet. Nonetheless, the portion was huge and these I would totally recommend!

Last but not least, the Steamed Chiu Chow Dumplings (Fun Gor) (3.5/5) arrived plump and piping hot like all the dishes we've had this meal. These were huge! Loaded with peanuts, celery, garlic, daikon, cilantro and ground pork these were a delight! The mixture inside was flavourful while being crunchy from the fresh ingredients and the dumpling skin was not too thick. They were not too thin either, and were easily picked up with chopsticks instead of falling apart.


Overall the Dimsum here that I've tried so far here at Da Fu, were pretty decent as two of them became my favourites, that being the BBQ Pork and Chicken Feet. Spacious, with comfortable seating, Da Fu is a great place to enjoy some quality DimSum for a decent price.
I've noticed some waiters holding trays of food, which
you can order right away, (Might cost a little more than the items on the Dimsum Menu)
such as the BBQ Pork Stuffed Pineapple Bun and Fried Chive and Pork Dumplings which I have to
try on my next visit for sure!


The Good:

• Inexpensive
• Spacious
• Everything arrives Piping Hot
• Ingredients are Fresh

The Bad:

• A little too much Grease

Dim Sum at OMEI Restaurant!

Growing up in a Chinese family, going out for Dim Sum on the weekends were the usual. Aside from frequenting places such as Ginger & Onion Restaurant ( Beside Market Village), one place we would often visit would be OMEI Seafood Restaurant. Is it just me or are push-cart dimsum spots becoming a rare sight? 

Tucked inside a small Chinese Plaza in Richmond Hill, OMEI is known for it's quality 5-course lobster dinner and it's seafood. This time around we were here for their Dim Sum, another specialty of theirs.
OMEI does not use the push-carts to serve their dimsum, instead you get their dimsum menu and check off what you want to order, which ensures that it's fresh and not roaming on the push-carts for a certain amount of time.
PICTURES WERE TAKEN FROM TWO VISITS


Up first were the Deep Fried Squid Tentacles (5/5). Arriving Piping hot and fresh, these were a delight. Unlike the battered fried ones you find at other dim sum spots, these were tender and bouncy and the squid had a nice snap and was well seasoned. These were quite addicting as well, couldn't stop eating them!



Up next were the Shrimp Sui Mai. (5/5) These were enormous.Looking around, we could see that almost every table had an order, so we knew these were a must. Topped with Masago (Fish Eggs) and Dried Scallop Shavings, these were a hit. One bit into one of these goodies, we immediately realized why these were so popular here at OMEI. Filled with Shrimp Mousse, dried mushroom and large pieces of shrimp, these offered a nice crunchy snap and were very well seasoned. It was like eating a giant wonton from all the shrimp it had! The Masago added a hint of saltiness while the Dried Mushroom and Dried Scallop shavings added a smoky flavour. These are an absolute must when you come to OMEI!







Add a little Soy Sauce and Chili Oil.....Oh man.

Enough of the drooling from the Sui Mai. Arriving piping hot next was the Stuffed Eggplant with Black Bean Sauce. (3.5/5). This was a generous portion once again.
The eggplant was fried up nicely, not being too mushy and retaining it's flavour. The fish paste offered a nice meaty texture to the eggplant but was rather salty and with the addition of the black bean sauce the whole dish sort of fell apart. Have you ever eaten something so salty, it made your tongue itch? This was how salty it was. Maybe the chef added a tad too much salt? Usually when I come to OMEI and order this, it's normally not as salty as it was this recent visit! The black bean sauce was relatively thick but did not lack it's black bean flavour. Overall maybe if this dish wasn't this salty, it would've been pretty decent in my books. Maybe it was an unlucky visit? Ha.

Coming steaming hot to the table was the Beef Rice Noodle Roll aka Cheung-Fun. (4.5/5). I'm a huge fan
of Cheung-Fun and it's a staple at every dim sum spot I go to. OMEI I would say has one of the best Cheung-Fun because of the soft texture of the Rice Noodle Roll. The Rice noodle roll at many dim sum places I've been to, are often very thick and unpleasantly chewy and hard. Overall any type of Cheung-Fun is not good served cold, and the one at OMEI is always served piping Hot. Drenched in a lightly sweet soy sauce, the texture of the rice noodle roll had a slight chew but was relatively soft and toothsome.Unlike some dimsum spots where the beef tastes soft and mushy, the beef had a nice meaty texture and complimented the rice noodle roll very well. Along with Green Onion the  beef also had hints of Orange Peel, which added a nice flavour to the overall dish.




Another dimsum favourite of ours is the Deep Fried Stuffed Bean Curd Roll. (4.5/5). I prefer the fried version over the steamed, because the bean curd offers a nice crispy texture and keeps in the flavours of the filling inside. The version at OMEI has Wood Ear Mushrooms, Carrots, Dried Mushroom and baby corn in it's filling, which I find tasty because all of them add a nice crunch. The flavours in this dish were on point and all the ingredients were fresh. With a splash of Worchestershire Sauce and Hot Sauce ... Mmmmm!






Have you ever had a craving for something out of blue? Like just randomly, thinking and the thought of that food just entered your mind? Well recently I've been craving 
Turnip Cake. Steamed or Pan-Fried....It didn't matter.      

 I couldn't get my mind off them! I finally got a chance to get an order of Pan-Fried Turnip Cake.(3.5/5) What makes a good turnip cake? Well fresh turnips and a nice balance of ingredients of course! Loaded with an ample amount of Chinese sausage and Dried Mushroom and Dried Shrimp these were okay. The turnip cake was kind of dry, so the ingredients didn't mesh as well together. I would've like to see more turnip, which would've brought more moisture to the dish. Well at least it was good enough to fulfill my craving!

Lastly we got an order of Deep Fried Glutinous Dumplings aka Ham Sui Gok (3.5/4) These were fried up nicely and arrived piping hot. The filling consisted of the average being , Ground Pork, Onions, Chives and Dried mushroom. I would've liked if they had a little more filling as the flour on the outside was a bit thick. Overall this was an average dish, nothing special. Don't forget your complimentary dessert of Red Bean Soup!

OMEI offers a variety of Dimsum as well as some specialty dishes such as their Braised Beef and Turnip, and Braised Tripe and Tendon. Although quite pricey, the generous portions make up for that. The service here is also great as well, and the wait for food isn't that long.

The Good: 

• Generous Portions
• Fresh Ingredients
• Food is always served HOT
• Good Service

The Bad:

• Quite Pricey
• Food is a tad too salty