HKS BBQ & Noodle House

Roasted Duck & Soy Chicken Rice (w/ Sunflower Tea)

Another day, another dinner at First Markham Place foodcourt. I must say, this foodcourt is by far one of the best places to eat because of its prices and quantity. Speaking of which, HKS BBQ & Noodle House is most famous for its large amounts of food (not just rice) while maintaining a decent quality every time. This is my usual place for my chicken, duck, roasted pig and etc as it has never disappointed me for the past 9 or 10 years (and continuing). Also, if you order near closing time, SOMETIMES they give you a bit more stuff depending on what they have left.

The day that I went I got the roasted duck & soy chicken rice ($6.25 tax included), and it always comes with a complimentary drink (soy milk or sunflower tea) or soup. I went close to closing hours and they ran out of roasted pig or else I would’ve got that (their roasted pig is better than their duck). Usually, their roasted duck is too bony and skinny and I never get enough meat out of them, but surprisingly, the duck was pretty good this time, not skinny at all. The soy chicken has been consistently good throughout the years, so that was normal for me. Although the quality is not what you would expect from actual sit-in restaurants, it does its job for a fast-food place. It tastes different from the average place, but not worse, just slightly different. It doesn't bother me at all and I’m sure it won’t bother the rest of you guys.

So, if you ever wonder into the foodcourt feeling some BBQ pork or anything else, HKS BBQ & Noodle House is the place to go. There is another place two stores beside it, but DO NOT try that. I tried it once when it opened up and it was no match for HKS BBQ & Noodle House. The meat is dry and the quantity is less. HKS BBQ & Noodle House: GOOD. Other place: BAD. Bon appetit.

Rating: 8.5/10

HKS BBQ & Noodle House (in the First Markham Place food court)
3255 Highway 7 East
Markham, ON

Mei Nung Beef Noodle House

beef noodle soup (S $5.99/L $6.99)

NOT VERY GOOD. GO TO MR. SUN'S.

Mei Nung Beef Noodle House
3229 Highway 7 East, Unit 7
Markam, ON

Ho Garden

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toast, eggs, instant noodles with ham / I have no idea what that is

One day Leo had an appointment early in the morning and decided to wake our lazy asses up so we settled on going for some cheap chinese breakfast. Of course for us, the temporarily unemployed, early is like 11am so we ended up going the closest place possible, Ho Garden, just to make it there right before breakfast ended at 11:30. This was pretty early for me so details are a little hazy.

I got uhh some sort of breakfast combo, which came with toast, 2 fried eggs, and instant noodles with ham ($4.95 + tax). Most amazing breakfast ever? No, but for $5 I'm not complaining and it definitely hit the spot. Leo got a different breakfast combo which came with oatmeal and a scrambled egg sandwich ($3.95 + tax) which he thought was just ok and regretted not getting my combo. Our last friend Wey got....I have no idea what he got but it was some sort of noodles in soup with chicken and a whole bunch of other stuff ($4.95 + tax). Didn't look very appetizing to me but he seemed to enjoy it so who knows.

Overall not bad, I like breakfast...just not waking up for it.

oatmeal and scrambled egg sandwich

Ho Garden
9255 Woodbine Ave
Markham, ON

Food Challenge: Yanagi Sushi – Double Katsu Challenge

Before the challenge began – TWO chicken katsus!

A while ago one of my friends tried to eat two pork katsus at Yanagi Sushi. Unfortunately, he did not finish. After hearing about this, I decided that one day I would step up and take the challenge myself. So, on August 18th 2009 (a day to be remembered), the challenge for two katsus was up again, only this time I was the contender.

Because I made up my mind to do it just two days before, I didn’t really prepare for this challenge besides drinking a lot of water the day before in an attempt to expand my stomach (which I think did nothing) and starved myself a bit the whole day. The time finally came when I arrived at the First Markham Place food court, and told the lady “TWO chicken katsus, please” (Fan of chicken, never pork). When I saw the two plates of katsu goodness in front of me, I was already hungry beyond my imagination, and began eating. I managed to finish the first katsu in about 5 minutes, probably because I was too hungry. After that, I slowed down my pace as the first katsu started filling up my stomach. In the end, I finished both katsus in 23 minutes. I did save a small bite as a grand finale to show my friend (the one who didn’t finish the challenge) and for the video below, but that wouldn’t have changed my time dramatically.

This challenge is now deemed a standard introduction challenge between all my friends, and a start to the world of competitive eating among us. If you’re going to start somewhere, you better start here. As for my friend who didn’t finish, he’ll back for a rematch soon. And for me? Gluttony is a sin, and I am now a sinner.

COMPLETION!

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

Kenny’s Delight

Pork Fried Rice with Vegetables and Dried Olives, Fish and King Oyster Mushroom on Fried Noodles

After a whole day of sports with the guys and not having a full meal all day, all I can think of is Kenny’s Delight, located in First Markham Place. This is because Kenny’s is well known for their large dishes at a reasonable price. So, before I begin my review, I challenge everyone to try and eat TWO plates of Kenny’s rice or fried noodles. It is possible (I’ve witnessed my previous roommate eat two before), but I believe only a handful of people can achieve this feat WITHOUT training or fasting.

Anyways, to satisfy my hunger, I ordered the pork fried rice with vegetables and dried olives ($7.99 + tax), an usual for me at Kenny’s while my friend ordered the fried noodles with fish and king oyster mushroom ($10.99 + tax). Now, I may be biased since I’ve been eating at Kenny’s for a long time, but the pork fried rice has never disappointed me. The rice is not too dry or too wet, just moist enough. There are plenty of dried olives in the rice and always enough meat and vegetables so that you will never be left with just rice in the end. The fried noodles, however, was a major disappointment. The noodles seem to be overcooked and burnt a bit and the taste was bland and plain, almost as if there were no flavour at all. The fish was decent and not overcooked , but still had no taste to it. Other than that, I don’t know what else I can say aside from a below average dish overall for Kenny’s.

If it weren’t for the fried noodles, it would have been a nice dinner at Kenny’s. So, for all you followers of this blog, DO NOT order the fried noodles (unless you’re feeling for some plain and flavourless food similar to congee). This does not change my mind about recommending and going back to Kenny’s though, but I think I’ll just stick to my pork fried rice and salty fish fried rice (also my favourite at Kenny’s) from now on.

Rating: 8.5/10 (-0.5 for the horrible fried noodles = 8/10)

P.S: I also ordered the Horlicks, which by the way, is the best Horlicks I’ve ever had. Highly Recommended!

Kenny’s Delight
3255 Highway 7 East, Unit 18A
Markham, ON

Go For Tea… Part II

Taro Slush with Popcorn Chicken Rice

Now, I know Jon already did a review of Go For Tea here, but since I ordered something different, I’ll do another one. I didn’t really eat anything the day that I went so I was feeling kind of hungry when I sat down. Go For Tea offers a fair amount of food dishes, even hot pot, which my friends got, but the prices seem to be fairly expensive. I got the popcorn chicken rice ($8.99 + tax), and it is actually a first time I ordered popcorn chicken for myself. Expecting it to be similar to Popeye’s or KFC, I think the popcorn chicken offers a similar taste, yet not as greasy, and that’s a good thing. The chicken wasn’t dry at all and I believe the meat is from the chicken leg, which is the best part. The plate also came with side dishes of wakame salad and ham, giving it a more luxurious feel . There was also a sauce on top of the rice that tasted a mixture of beans and potatoes, adding more flavour overall. Positive reviews were given by my friends about the hot pot as well, but I can’t seem to remember the price nor did I take a picture of it. Aside from the food, I got the taro slush ($5.99 + tax), but I got a large so it was a dollar more. As Jon mentioned before, the large was well worth it and I actually had to rush the drink in the end because there was so much left.

So, at first I thought I would just get something to simply satisfy my hunger, and it turned out to be a good meal in the end so I was happy. For food at a bubble tea place, it is actually decent and even above average considering the quality of food that I get at other places. However, for the price that you’re paying, you can bet that there are other places out there that are cheaper, but Go For Tea opens until 3am so what can you do. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and for once being desperate doesn’t turn out to be a bad thing after all.

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

Chako Barbeque

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MEAT !

Late night Korean BBQ...great for those days when suddenly it's 10 at night and you haven't eaten yet and you're really hungry. Most Korean BBQ (or KBBQ as the kids like to call it) places are pretty much the same and Chako doesn't do anything very different though the decor is probably nicer than most. Differences between the regular and late night menu (10.99 + tax) can be seen here but I just go for the beef and short ribs anyway so I just stick to going at night.

To start off you get a salad and a bunch of side dishes including kimchi, beansprouts, pickled radish, and fried tofu. I like the pickled radish and fried tofu but that's just me. In terms of the meat...fish sticks to the grill, chicken takes too long to cook, pork gets too dry, and squid I just don't like for KBBQ...so yea, I just stick to the beef and short ribs but even the short ribs are kind of fatty. And then the vegetables are...wait...what is this? vegetables? I don't come here to eat vegetables! But if you really wanted to, you could also get zucchini and green/red peppers...not that I have ever tried them of course. Pssh...vegetables...

All in all a great night, I just hope all that meat isn't still stuck in my colon. Also watch the video on the proper way to cook beef at korean BBQ as demonstrated by Leo.

Chako Barbeque
163 York Blvd
Richmond Hill, ON