Nagoya Japanese Restaurant

 Almost everyday I pass by this place. Sure, I've heard about it on the radio and seen it's ad in the newspaper, but I've never really had the intention of trying it. No reason at all, but due to the many other places that offer AYCE, I totally forgot about this place. We were shopping at the fairly close Pacific Mall one day, and once again I was given the task of choosing where to go for dinner. The first place that popped up in my head was Nagoya. I guess the foodie gods thought it was about time we tried this place out.

It was only about 5:30 pm and the small
restaurant was already jam packed. When I
mean jam packed, I mean jam packed like a can of sardines. There was barely any room for the servers and patrons to get by. Anyways on to the food. They were having a Lobster Sashimi (3.5/5) special.

The lobster was sweet and tender and our whole party enjoyed it. The tobiko added a nice crunch. We got an order of Takoyaki (3/5) and it was fairly average with a bouncy piece of octopus inside. The Sashimi was decent, our favourite being the Ika (Squid) (4/5).


It had a nice buttery and bouncy texture which we all enjoyed. The Salmon Sashimi (2.5/5) was cut thick but unfortunately, it didn't taste very fresh.




There was a slight fishy taste, which sucked because it was cut properly. The Octopus (3/5) made up for that in a way as it was  decently chewy with a snap. The Crab Meat (2/5) and Surf Clam (2.5/5) were both average.



We got 4 different rolls, such as the Spider Roll and California Roll. When it arrived to our table, we were immediately confused as to which roll was which. It was poorly constructed as piece was falling apart. I understand that I'm at a AYCE, but this was honestly very disappointing. We noticed other patrons weren't exactly satisfied with their rolls either. The Spider Roll (2/5) had no sauce on top which made it really dry. The California Roll (2.5/5), was topped with a little too much tobiko, and fell apart really easily.

We ordered the Salmon and Avocado Handroll (2.5/5) and there was no avocado to be found.
It was stuffed with so much rice which was gummy. At this point, we were quite unhappy,
especially because the service was lacking as well. For a small restaurant, it was super hard to flag down one of their 5 servers and they mostly forgot to help us check up on an order.


I did like their system of us telling which dishes to order instead of patrons writing it themselves on little sheets or scrolling through an ipad, but unfortunately some orders did not come through.

 
Their desserts were pretty typical for a Japanese AYCE. They had the Mango Yogurt (4/5) which was the highlight of the night due to it's creaminess and slight mango flavour. The Green Tea and Red Bean Icecream were creamy but tasted average and nothing special. The Coconut Pudding (3/5) had a faint coconut taste, but was enjoyable because it was creamy and silky.
Overall, our experience here was not the best, and since there are so many more new AYCE places, I would suggest trying those before coming here.

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.

Asian Kitchen

After visiting the Cellphone
Hospital in Toronto, aka Pacific Mall, to get my phone repaired, I was given the task
of choosing where to eat. Sigh...so many options to choose from, so little time. I totally forgot there
was a plaza nearby on Silver Star Blvd , with a massive
food court.

Craving Chinese
Food, we ventured
our way over to the plaza and to be honest we all took awhile to
decide on what to eat. The glowing green sign from Asian Kitchen caught my eye. With a large menu    
consisting of rice, noodle and set meals to choose from we all decided to get something different to share.

For $4, the Sweet & Sour Pork on Rice (3.5/5) was pretty decent with a generous amount of rice topped with saucy, but still crispy Sweet & Sour Pork. The sauce was a bit too sour for my liking but the crisp veggies made up for it.        

My favourite had to be the Soya Sauce Chicken on Rice (4/5), which was topped with again, a generous amount of tender and juicy chicken. Each piece had a nice rendered skin, that was very flavourful and not overly salty. The accompanying Veggies were a tad chewy but I was fine with that. Unfortunately, they did not have the Ginger and Onion Sauce to dip the Chicken in, which would've made the chicken stand out.

We couldn't be without a noodle dish, so we went with the Fried Rice Noodle with Beef (2.5/5). The first thing I noticed about this, was how incredibly greasy it was. Not a good first impression, as many Chinese Restaurants can master this dish without leaving this much grease behind. Just looking at it gave me a little tummy ache. The beef was tender and the noodles were soft. Although the flavour was great without being too salty, sadly we really couldn't finish this due to how greasy it was.

Our visit to Asian Kitchen was okay, especially it being a fast food joint.
The prices were great and all
the dishes we had came with a Soup
or Soya Milk.  

Ocean Seafood Restaurant

I have a fear of driving to Richmond Hill. The busy Highway 7 during rush hour, and minimized 2 lane traffic...It's a nightmare. However, when it comes to eats, I will do absolutely ANYTHING. Yes, i'm that serious. One beautiful Sunday afternoon, we decided to head to Ocean Seafood Restaurant. Tucked inside a fairly big plaza located by Hwy 7 & Leslie, this place is not hard to miss. The parking was indeed a
nightmare, due to the limited
spots and busy restaurants
that share the same plaza.

 We were given an afternoon tea lunch menu which featured some Hong Kong Style Favourites, Congee, Sandwiches, and snacks that came with your choice of HK Style Milk Tea, Coffee or Iced Tea. The first item that caught my eye immediately was the Baked Pork Chop on Rice (4.5/5). We had the choice of Black Pepper, Cream or Tomato Sauce. Don't let the size of that plate fool ya, this was massive! Although I had no intentions of sharing haha, I had to because it was so big! Topped with cheese, the sauce had a perfect tangy and sweetness to it that wasn't overpowering but left you craving for more. It complimented the rice which was a tad bit undercooked
well, and the pork was juicy.

My sister was craving some Fried Chicken Wings (3.5/5) and these were great. Crispy, Juicy and flavourful, easy on the grease! It was a steal in my opinion, especially because it came with a drink!

We got an order of the Shredded Pork and Vegetable Chow Mein (3.5/5) which was loaded with crisp veggies and tender shredded pork. The addition of bean sprouts added a nice crunch and the sauce had the right consistency.

The Malaysian Style Minced Beef Fried Rice (4/5) was one of the best fried rice I ever had. Not only was beef tender, the rice was flavourful
without exhibiting much MSG and grease. I loved the
addition of the diced Gai Lan,
as it added a nice crunch.



We enjoyed the Singapore Style Fried Vermicelli Rice Noodle  (3.5/5). The spice level of the curry wasn't too overpowering, but it
was still a tad bit salty in my opinion. Again, I love the addition of the crisp veggies as it balanced the dish well.

The dishes we tried this visit were
above average in our opinion,
and we would definitely come back
again, especially to check out
their dinner offerings. The service
was average, but the food and drinks
came out fast which was good. This
is a great place to satisfy your
HK Style favourites cravings for
a decent price.

Da Fu Seafood Cuisine (Best Dim Sum in Scarborough?)

Yes I know, I did a review back in July about my Dim Sum experience at Da Fu. Ever since then I probably
have gone back more than 20 times..
and yes 20!! When your Grandma
and Uncle calls you every Saturday
for Dim Sum, oh you can't possibly
reject!

One item that we always order first, well actually the waiters carry these around, are the Portuguese Chicken Pies (3.5/5). Filled with tender pieces of chicken in a creamy curry like sauce, these are not to be missed. The flaky pie pastry is oh so buttery, but can easily fall apart.

Another go-to item of ours is the Da Fu Vegetable Spring Rolls (4/5). Packed with shredded taro, carrots and bean sprouts these are a delight especially dipped in Worchestershire Sauce. The colouring might look off, but these are fried to a nice crisp.







Occasionally, the waiters can be seen holding plates of food that are most likely not found on the Dim Sum menu, like the Portuguese Chicken Pie. During one of our visits they were walking around with
plates of the Deep Fried Chicken Cartilage (3.5/5). These don't sound appetiting at all, but trust me I'm not a fan of cartilage either, but these were very tasty. Piping hot, these were fried with Chili's as they exhibited a little bit of heat. The cartilage was not too hard where it was inedible, and the batter was nice and crispy.





 An absolute favourite of ours, would be the Steamed Chiu Chow Dumplings (4.5/5) , also known as Fun Gor. Loaded with minced meat, Chinese mushrooms, bamboo shoots, toasted peanuts, celery and cilantro these literally explode in your mouth with the first bite. These are honestly that good. The filling isn't too salty while the dumpling skin isn't too thick. The celery and bamboo adds a nice crunch. One tip while eating these morsels of goodness. USE A SPOON! 




Speaking of explosions in your mouth, the Steamed Salted Egg Yolk Custard Bun (5/5) is something that'll you'll definitely have to eat with caution! Man these are amazing! The bun is nice and soft and filled with Salted Egg Yolk goodness! These aren't too sweet and honestly I could eat a whole order of these. It is recommended that you eat these as soon as possible as the custard will sit and cool eventually making it somewhat dry. Not alot of Dim Sum places offer this dish so I'm glad this was on the menu!

The Steamed Short Ribs in Black Pepper Sauce (4/5) will make you crave for more. Tender, succulent, and moist, these literally fall off the bone. The ribs are aggressively seasoned with Black pepper to the point where it does not over power the dish which I enjoy. It definitely adds a nice to kick to it. There wasn't alot of fat content which is good.

The Steamed Shrimp Dumplings or Har Gow (4/5) were nice and plump. The wrapper was slightly thin but no to the point where it broke easily. The shrimp filling had a good crunch texture and was seasoned with a bit of sesame oil which brought out the flavours. Very good.











 The Sticky Rice filled with Salted Egg and Pork or Jung (3/5) was slightly better than the types you would find at the grocery store. The pork wasn't too fatty and there were big pieces of the salted egg yolk which is my favourite part. The mung bean and rice to filling ratio was good so that with each bite you could get some of both. This arrived with a small plate of sugar, which according to my parents, make the dish a whole lot better. I think I'll stick to eating these 'sugarless'.



The Steamed Black Bean Spare Ribs with Pumpkin (4/5) were meaty and moist, while the soft pumpkin soaked up all the goodness. I especially liked how the pieces of spare ribs didn't have too much bone and fat content and was beautifully tender. The black bean sauce wasn't too overpowering, maintaining the flavours of the meat.










The Beef Rice Noodle Roll or Cheung Fun (4/5) is one of my grandma's favourite dishes when we eat Dim Sum. She is quite the expert when it comes to a Rice Noodle Rolls. Trust me, after one bite of the Beef Rice Noodle Roll we had at Health Gourmet (See previous posts) she didn't touch it.
You know she loves it here when she can almost eat the whole plate herself. The Rice Noodle is nice and soft but not to the point where it is soggy and loose. The tender beef filling is mixed with bamboo shoots and cilantro which add a nice crunch texture.

When you arrive early during the lunch time rush, you'll usually see the BBQ Pork Puff Pastry (4.5/5) floating around. These are a very popular and go fast so be sure you come early just for it! Trust me, these are worth it. The puff pastry is super buttery and flaky, while the BBQ Pork filling is meaty and not overly sweet. These aren't like the ones you find at a Chinese Bakery.
They make these in house like their Baked Portuguese Chicken Pies, so you bet these are hot and fresh.

The Steamed Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce (4/5) was perfectly cooked where they weren't hard or too soft either. The black bean sauce was flavourful where it wasn't overpowering and the addition of minced garlic was tasty. It had some chilli's in it which provided a bit of heat.










 The Sui Mai (4/5) is another must order here. Made with with crunchy shrimp and tender pork, these almost instantly melt in your mouth. These are incredibly juicy especially when you eat these hot, and the large pieces of Chinese Mushroom add a nice smoky flavour. The Tobiko (Fish Eggs) on top add a slight saltiness as well as crunch.

The Fried Donut Rice Noodle Roll (4/5) is my uncle's favourite dish at Dim Sum and Congee places. He believes the one here at Da Fu is way better than the one at Congee Queen. What?! Yup, you read that right, and I couldn't agree with him more. The fried donut is light and crispy even with the rice noodle around it. The rice noodle wasn't too thick or too thin either which we enjoyed. The addition of dried shrimp would've nice but this was great with or without.

The last dish to arrive was the Coconut Milk Pudding (3.5/5). Rich, creamy and smooth, these were a nice end to our meal. These were topped with Toasted Shredded Coconut which was texturally pleasing and added a nice smoky flavour. The texture was firm and not too soft.


After quite alot of visits, Da Fu has instantly become one of my go-to places for Dim Sum. They do not skimp on ingredients and there food is always served the right temperature. Their food is consistent from the times I've been there, and it is quite inexpensive. The wait times for a table is usually 15-30 minutes, depending on the party size and time you go (Busier during Weekends).
I totally recommend Da Fu for great
Quality Dim Sum well worth your buck.



The Good:

• Inexpensive
• Consistent
• Great overall quality

The Bad:

• Parking may be quite hectic as it is located in a mall with T&T and other surrounding establishments
• Wait times for a table can be quite long

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

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:

•