Honey & Garlic Cuisine

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food

Ah afternoon dim sum, is there anything better in life? Well except for maybe millions of dollars, or 2 girls at the same time, or....well it's still up there. I always end up going in the afternoon because 1) none of my friends can wake up earlier than 12 on a weekend/day off and 2) we're all cheap. That day we decided to go to Honey & Garlic Cuisine by Kennedy/Denison where it's $2.20 after 2:00 on weekends or $.1.90 after 1:30 on weekdays.

I'm pretty lazy so I'll let the pictures to the talking. I'm sure I'm missing a few things though since I had to keep reminding myself to stop eating and take pictures. But anyway, we got around 20 dishes and it worked out to be around $10 a person for the 6 of us. Everything was pretty decent as usual though the quality got pretty bad near the end when they stopped going around with the carts and we ordered off the sheet. That usually doesn't happen though so I'll keep coming back as long as it's cheap.

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more food

Honey & Garlic Cuisine
1661 Denison St.
Markham, ON

Taipei Chin Yuan Pai Ku (台北金園排骨)

fried pork chop rice (pai ku faan)

As you may all know, if there is one thing Jon likes, it's pork chops. So, a while ago I took Jon and the guys to Chin Yuan Pai Ku located in the food court of Metro Square (Steeles/Warden) for their fried pork chop rice ($6.00 + tax). Apparently, this is the best place for fried pork chop rice according to my Taiwanese friends, so you can't go wrong when even Taiwanese people like the place. After the meal was done, it was certified amazing by Jon and a good recommendation from me.

I myself tried it a couple of times before and I thought it was pretty good as well, seeing as how I personally am not a big fan of pork and pork chops. The chops just simply had something normal chinese or american pork chops don't have and I can't quite pinpoint what it is. But it was good, real good. The portion was big too, enough to fill me up at least. Also, aside from the piece of pork chop, you also get some pickled relishes and carrots, a tofu side dish, vegetables (it was brocolli when I took the pic but it changes) and an egg.

Recently, I went back to Chin Yuan again feeling for some nice fried pork chop rice. Boy was I disappointed. It had lost what brought me back to this place over and over again even if it was so damn far away (I live in Richmond Hill so the drive is at least 15-20mins). The pork chop was smaller, drier and too oily for my liking. Now, when you are famous for fried pork chop and you fail to match the standard you once had, then that's just sad. On the plus side, though, there was more rice! *thumps up*

So, it looks as though Chin Yuan has lost its title of best fried pork chop rice in my opinion. Hopefully, one of you guys curious enough to try it yourselves will find it as good as when I first had it a long time ago. And if you do, be sure to come back and tell me because as for now, I'm gonna go and explore other places, searching for the next champion of fried pork chop rice.

Rating: 6.5/10

Chin Yuan Pai Ku (台北金園排骨)
3636 Steeles Ave E Unit 105A (Metro Square food court)
Markham, ON

New Contributer: Leo

So my friend Leo is going to start writing for this blog too. More content, more updates, more fun? Well that's the plan anyway...unless we both become really lazy...or eaten by bears...or something.

Pho Ling's

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pork and spring roll vermicelli / lemon grass pork chop and spring roll on rice

Probably my second favourite place in the First Markham Place food is Pho Ling's. I usually grab something from here when I'm not feeling for pork katsu. Coincidentally located right beside the pork katsu place, Pho Ling's serves the typical vietnamese fare but for slightly cheaper as it is in a food court afterall.

I got the lemon grass pork chop with spring roll on rice ($5.75 inc. tax). Including a drink (iced tea!), it's a decent meal for $5.75. The spring roll was tasty as always, the pork chop was good but maybe a little small and hard to cut with a plastic knife, and the lettuce was...well it's just lettuce.

Actually what I usually come here for is the pork and spring roll vermicelli ($5.75 inc. tax), which my friend got that day and probably gets that as much as I get the pork katsu (hint: alot). This also comes with a drink and not really any complaints about this one, it's all pretty good. Maybe it could be a little bigger but that's probably just the fatass in me talking...

Pho Ling's (in the First Markham Place food court)
3255 Highway 7 East
Markham, ON

Lebanese Gourmet

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falafel wrap

Working right above a food court has its advantages like when it's raining and I forget my umbrella or I'm just plain lazy. For days like those I sometimes go to Lebanese Gourmet at the food court in the City Centre.

That day I got the falafel wrap but I've also tried the beef and chicken shawarma from here as well, all of which are $3.99 + tax. Nothing too special, I've had better falafels elsewhere but it does the job for a quick lunch. I guess the main draw of this place for me is that it's cheap(under $5) and it's close. The beef and chicken shawarma also aren't anything special either and especially after discovering Shawarma Max I don't find myself coming here very often ...unless of course it's raining...like it has been all week.

Lebanese Gourmet (in the food court)
5150 Yonge St.
North York, ON

Sushi Bong

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looks like your ordinary sushi restaurant right? bong!

Sushi Bong...despite what the name says, they only focus on sushi. Apparently the owner or chef's last name is Bong and only learned of the other meaning after already naming the restaurant. At the bottom of a condo complex south of Finch just off of Yonge, Sushi Bong is tiny. There are like 6 seats in the whole restaurant but most people just grab takeout from here anyway.

First thing to know about Sushi Bong is that the rolls here are big. They're like ordered those pills off the internet big and for just as cheap too. I got the dynamite roll ($5.98 + tax) and some salmon maki ($3.50 + tax). And it's not like they just give you a ton of rice, both rolls were packed with ingredients. The salmon maki was good and I was particularly impressed with the amount of salmon they give. The dynamite roll was decent, not anything amazing in terms of taste, but it was big and definitely filling - good value. After all that (and a bubble tea haha) I was very full...no ordinary feat mind you, so the portions get a thumbs up (Y) from me.

So go for the sushi or just for the name, Sushi Bong is worth a try....though it would be pretty good if you're......

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dynamite roll and salmon maki

Sushi Bong
5 Northtown Way
North York, ON

Pho Delight

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large beef brisket pho / semi eaten BBQ pork and spring roll vermicelli

I was delighted (get it? get it?) to find a place for pho close to work that's not Pho88 (a bad one). I actually ended up going again since I first went and that's how slack I've been with this blog. But anyway, Pho Delight is your typical vietnamese restaurant serving up pho, vermicelli, spring rolls, lemongrass porkchop/chicken on rice....though the menu is a bit more limited than most (no pho bo kho!).

First time I went I got the large beef brisket pho ($5.95 + tax for small, $6.95 + tax for large). Broth was good, noodles were good, the meat I got a few bad pieces, size wasn't the largest but it was enough that I was full, and overall pretty decent.

The next time I went I got the BBQ pork and spring roll vermicelli which was $6.75 + tax (I think...). I thought the spring roll was a little small but otherwise tasted ok, the BBQ pork was really good, and the noodles were ehh maybe they just needed more of that fish sauce mixture....but man was that pork tasty and it more than made up for everything else so I'd actually probably get this again.

Prices are maybe a little bit higher than what I'm used to paying for a bowl of pho but the food is good and definitely alot better than the Pho88 across the street.

Pho Delight
5252 Yonge St.
North York, ON

Yanagi Sushi

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yanagi sushi / pork katsu

...and so that's what this place is called and not just the pork katsu place. Pretty much my go to meal, I've lost count of how many times I've eaten here and this exact meal. In the corner of the First Markham Place food court, this is in my opinion the greatest meal $5.50 (taxes in) can buy. Run by one of the nicest ladies ever, there's always a can of iced tea ready for me whenever I go.

For that $5.50 you get a drink, salad, rice and of course the delicious pork cutlet. The salad? Amazing. The rice? Amazing. The drink (iced tea!)? Amazing. The pork? Amazing. The little leftover crumbs of batter from the pork? You bet it's amazing. Cheap, close, delicious, the pork katsu here has never let me down and I don't know what I'd do without this place.

NOTE #1: If you ever see 2 guys fighting over which plate of has the bigger piece of pork, that's me and my friend....or if you see someone trying to eat 2 in one sitting that's also us.

NOTE #2: Leo says: Chicken katsu is also very good. The chicken!

sexy closeup of the pork

Yanagi Sushi (in the First Markham Place food court)
3255 Highway 7 East
Markham, ON

Furama Cake & Dessert Garden

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curry beef bun and ham and egg bun / box of ha gow

For days I'm feeling cheap...moreso, I like to go to Furama in the Sheppard Centre food court for some cheap chinese buns. In addition to the usual buns and desserts, they also sell patties and dim sum. The store itself is pretty small so the selection of buns is a bit more limited than most chinese bakeries and at $1.20/bun, the prices are higher than most too. I guess for chinese bakery standards that's pretty expensive but it's still alot cheaper than anything else in the area.

I got a curry beef bun and a ham and egg bun. Both were pretty good, they don't cheap out on the filling here and the bun itself was nice and fresh. I also decided to get a box of ha gow but at $3.20 + tax for 4 I was already regretting my decision turning my cheap lunch into a not so cheap one...I mean I guess I should have expected it coming from a food court but for science! I had to try it out. As expected they weren't that great, flavour was ok but the texture was kind of uhhh pasty? It felt like it was lacking some sort of...grease...and definitely not worth the $3.20. I'll just go to real dim sum for that and for much cheaper (and greasier!).

So overall not a bad place for a cheap lunch but I think I'll just stick to the buns.

Furama Cake & Dessert Garden
2 Sheppard Avenue East (In the Sheppard Centre food court)
North York, ON

Go For Tea

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mango slush and very mango slush (yes...I know both pictures look the same)

Hmm I always forget to take a picture of the outside. Well another friday night, another of night bubble tea...actually this was more like last friday night but that's not the point. Fruitti Mix is cheap, A Place For Us is close, but Go For Tea has quantity. All I can say is if you're thirsty (or just feeling like a fatass) get the large you won't regret it. Unlike some places, the large here is definitely worth the extra $1, as the difference between a regular and a large is huge.

I got the mango slush which was $5.99 + tax, + $1 for large. It was alright, nothing amazing but not terrible either. It tasted like mango, it was cold, it was large, and pretty much what I expected. For $6.99 + tax you could instead choose to get the very mango slush which is the mango slush with pieces of mango and jelly.

So if size matters....

Go For Tea
Unit 2-230 Commerce Valley Dr E
Richmond Hill, ON

Canaan Cake Centre

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Right beside Ichiban on Spring Garden Ave is Canaan Cake Centre. Like all bakeries walking by it smelled awesome so of course I had to stop by after grabbing my takeout from Ichiban. Canaan Cake Centre is a Korean bakery that sells a variety of baked goods but are probably most known for their walnut cakes.

Shaped like a walnut they come with either custard or red bean filling. I got the custard ones which were $5.00 for a box of 20. I guess you could compare them to timbits but they're not as sweet like most asian baked goods. The dough is also fairly light and contains pieces of walnut in it. Good for sharing and to snack on during work as you won't be falling asleep after eating a few of these...unless you eat all 20....which of course I didn't do.

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the custard filling / nails too long

Canaan Cake Centre
11 Spring Garden Ave
North York, ON

Ichiban Fish House

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the outside and curry pork cutlet rice

One of the many Ichiban locations in the GTA, the one located on Spring Garden just north of Yonge & Sheppard is supposed to be one of the better ones. Known for their decent quality of fish, I planned to try some of their sushi or sashimi....until I saw they had curry pork cutlet rice on their menu so of course I had to try that instead.

One thing about this place, the takeout container they give sure is alot nicer than the usual styrofoam box haha. At $9.95 + tax this is one of the more expensive curry pork rice? rices? rice..s? Well whatever it is, one of the more expensive ones I've had. You get of course the curry pork and rice (in the picture it's in the box beside the soup) as well as miso soup, salad, some pickled turnip, vegetables cooked in terriyaki sauce, and some sort of seaweed. As you can see you get a bit more variety than most places which is nice and they all tasted fine but the important part is all about the curry.

The curry was....let's just say it was interesting. Not like any curry I've had before, this one reminded me more of a gravy than curry. It was thick like a gravy and tasted like a concentrated version of curry. Not really a bad thing, it still tasted pretty good but there was only enough to cover the pork and couldn't cover my rice with it like a normal curry would. One issue I did have though was with the meat. The piece of pork that they fried was the thinnest piece of pork I've ever seen! Couldn't have been more than like a centimetre thick.

the thinnest piece of pork ever!

So overall the curry pork was kind of disappointing and I'll probably be sticking to Ajisen for my curry pork rice lunchtime fix. But I will have to go back again though to try their sushi and sashimi after all it is what they're more known for.

Ichiban Fish House
15 Spring Garden Ave
North York, ON

Shawarma Max

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chicken shawarma sandwich

Shawarma Max is pretty much your typical shawarma joint serving chicken/beef/falafels in a wrap or on a plate. Fairly popular with the office lunch crowds, it's a great place to go for a quick lunch. Located on Yonge St., it's around midway between North York Centre and Sheppard.

I got the chicken shawarma sandwich for lunch which cost $4.69 + tax. Though not the biggest or the cheapest shawarma I've ever had, the chicken was moist, tahina and garlic sauce tasted good, and had a good selection of toppings (pickled turnip!). Overall pretty tasty and one of the better chicken shawarma's I've had. Definitely would go back perhaps to try the beef or the shawamra plate.

UPDATE 08/06/2009: Prices are now $4.99 + tax for the chicken shawarma sandwich, $5.18 for the beef shawarma sandwich.....and stick with the chicken, it's much better.

Shawarma Max

4969 Yonge St.
North York, ON

Stop & Seat

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the outside and taiwanese sausage fried rice

At first I had no idea what this place was called. I thought it was just called tea shop but I looked it up and apparently it's called Stop & Seat. Right beside Asian Legend on Yonge St. by North York Centre, Stop and Seat serves bubble tea and other taiwanese and chinese food.

Having walked past this time many times before what got my attention this time was a big sign that said "5th Anniversary Special $1.99" (takeout only). If you've read my earlier posts, you know there are a few things I love, japanese curry pork rice, fat chicks, and cheap bubble tea. So when I saw bubble tea for $1.99, I was all over that like free samples at Costco.

Figuring this was a taiwanese place, I thought I'd get the popcorn chicken but after searching the menu for a few minutes and not finding it I gave up and got a taiwanese sausage fried rice off the lunch menu instead (see it here and here). On the lunch menu there are around 30 different choices all for $5.99 with a free black/green tea. With the lunch special I also got a taro milk green tea which cost an extra $1.50.

The taiwanese sausage fried rice was only ok. They give pretty good amount of fried rice but if the pieces of sausage weren't as good as they were I would have said it was pretty bad. Still nothing special though and I've certainly had better taiwanese sausage fried rice elsewhere. The bubble tea however was actually pretty good especially considering the price. Not poorer quality in any way (Fruitti Mix...), it tasted just as good as the Tea Shop 168 across the street except it's waay cheaper.

I went back later in the week just to get a black milk tea and learned that the $1.99 doesn't include tapioca and to get some costs an extra 50 cents. So actually it's $2.50 + tax bubble tea, not as cheap as I thought but still by far the cheapest bubble tea in the area. I don't know if this is a temporary promotion or not, just for their 5th anniversary, but know I'm going to be going here alot for the rest of the summer while I work at North York Centre.

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black milk tea and taro milk green tea

Stop & Seat
5184 Yonge St.
North York, ON

Yogi Noodle

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black pepper steak with rice and a semi eaten curry beef with rice

So after coming home from a long day at the beach what better food to relax with than chinese food...well actually I'm sure there are better foods but I live in Markham so what else am I going to eat. We all ended up going to Yogi Noodle in Scarborugh, in Bamburgh Circle, just south of Warden/Steeles.

The first thing I see from the outside is a big red banner that says "best chinese food in town". Now I don't know about you but I found that to be a pretty big claim so I'm thinking, the best? They're calling themselves the best? Any place that needs to call themselves the best can't really be that good....right?

"best chinese food in town"

At first glance of the menu the food seemed pretty standard for this type of chinese restaurant, curry/baked rice/black pepper dishes so I still had my doubts about this so called best chinese food in town.

I ordered the black pepper steak with rice ($7.99 + tax) but ended up switching with someone for their curry beef rice ($6.99 + tax) because they found it to be a bit too spicy. The steak was pretty good, decent pieces of meat and cooked how I asked (medium) but the black pepper sauce was maybe a bit peppery for my liking. The curry was spicier than what you would normally get from these types of restaurants but of course was no problem for me (pssh spice!). I actually liked the spice but I can see how some people might find it too spicy. Aside from the spice I thought the flavour of the curry was actually alot better than most places and no problems with the pieces of beef (though another friend got the same curry except with beef brisket and noticed quite a few bad pieces).

It also came with a free soup and hot drink. The soup was the usual borscht which I found kind of sweet, too peppery, and overall not very good. I chose to get a cold milk tea for 75 cents extra which was ok but I've had better.

So best chinese food in town? I don't know about that but I was definitely surprised with the quality of the black pepper steak and curry beef, both I'd say were above average than what you normally get from these kinds of places. I'd want to go again to try the fish and corn with cream sauce baked rice which some other people got and also looked pretty good.

Yogi Noodle
325 Bamburgh Circle, Unit 109A
Scarborough, ON

Ajisen Ramen

curry pork cutlet rice

Ajisen Ramen is worldwide restaurant chain, with 2 locations in the GTA, specializing in ramen; a type of Japanese noodle soup which has dozens of variations with different meats and broths.

Having been to Ajisen Ramen a few times now, my Rule #1 when it comes to Ajisen Ramen: don't get the ramen. Overpriced, bland, small portions, I'd normally say stay away entirely but if there's only thing I can't resist is a good curry pork cutlet rice and Ajisen Ramen sure does make a decent one.

The Yonge St. location is located just a north of North York Centre and where I picked up my lunch. The curry pork cutlet rice cost 7.99 + tax and you get...curry, pork cutlet, and rice! As well as a miso soup and some sort of pickled cucumbers. In the curry there were some potatoes, carrots, and peas, which I thought overall had a pretty good flavour. Sure it probably comes from a package but it was pretty damn tasty and solid lunch.

Note: You get alot more soup than that, I drank like half of it before I remembered to take a picture

Ajisen Ramen
5229 Yonge St.
North York, ON

A Place For Us

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banana snowflake

A Place for Us, one too many nights have been spent there killing time. For a sit down bubble tea place I'd rate A Place for Us as average. Drinks and prices are well....average! Prices range from around $4-7 depending on size, tapioca/jelly, slush, and so on, you know the drill.

One drink they have that's a bit different from other places is the snowflake. What can I say about the snowflake....well it's cold and it's thick and it's crunchy. It's like a slush with pieces of crushed frozen corn flakes in it? I have no idea what it is but it sure is crunchy. But anyway, I tried the banana snowflake which cost $5.99 + tax and didn't have a strong fake banana taste to it which was nice but not sure if it's something I'd get again.

Overall the drinks are decent but nothing amazing and the seating is kind of squished and the service can be a bit surly but where it does win for us (hahaha get it? get it? you get it...) is proximity. It's pretty much the closest decent sit down bubble tea place for most people I know. So if you're in the area, why not, give it a try otherwise there are tons of other average bubble tea places all over the GTA.

Random lesson of the night: Corn pops are not a substitute for tapioca and do not fit through a bubble tea straw.

A Place For Us
3235 Hwy 7 East
Markham, ON