Bluestone Bistro

I just realized that Bluestone Bistro is now closed:(

I was so disappointed when I walked to their doors only to see a sign that said they were closed. I've only been there once for brunch and I wanted to return to try their french toast. Now it's too late:(

There aren't many brunch places uptown so it was sad to see that it was no longer in business. Anyways here is my post on my first and last dining experience at Bluestone.

Hana-Bi Sushi

Cheap, tasty and filling.

Hana-Bi Sushi definitely meets those requirements.

Look at this. Bento box for $8 tax in. O-M-G!!! Is that cheap or what?!!

Thai One On

Yes another Thai place again.

Been eating a lot of Thai food and yet still not sick of it. This time I went to Thai One On. I've been to this restaurant twice so far so this post will be a combination of both visits.

My first trip was with Sue and Sand.

First off is the basil chicken with veggies. This was delish and very flavorful.

Ding Tai Fong

I am soooo behind on my blogging so will try to remember as much as I can about my experience here.

I went to Ding Tai Fong sometime in mid August. Sand recommended the place to me so we decided to go there on a Saturday morning.

Dang the place was packed when we arrived. Then again all dim sum places are always packed on a Saturday morning. This was no regular Chinese dim sum place. It was a Shanghai dim sum restaurant.

Fire Fly

Since I don't really go to First Markham, both Sue and Sand recommended Fire Fly. It was a good choice.

When we arrived it was a full house. The pix that I took was when they were pretty much closing. Let's just say we had a really good time that we almost didn't want to leave:)

We each got the set menu which came with a choice of soup or salad, bread, entree and drink.

For our drink, we all ordered the HK coffee tea. Unlike the one at Phoenix which is already all sugared up, this one here you had to add the sweetener yourself.

Stinky Tofu is Really STINKY!!!!

Stinky tofu is not called stinky for no reason.

I was walking around First Markham until Sue sniffed the air and told me she smelled stinky tofu. I have never ate it before so she insisted that I give it a try. We got Sand to also try it too even though he kept crying NOOOOOOOO!!! But hey since he never tried it thought we should try it together.

Izakaya Ju

1st time good, 2nd time eh, 3rd time no more.

I've been to Izakaya Ju 3 times already and that first line pretty much described all 3 experiences. What I will be blogging about here will be my 3rd trip.

On my 3rd dinner here all the items I ordered were all dishes I haven't tried on my previous 2 trips. So something new but maybe that's where I went wrong.

This osaka style fried rice was the highlight of the meal. When it arrived my friend was like "whoa it's ALIVE!!!". What he was referring to were the bonito flakes lol. This dish was very flavorful and tasty even though it was mostly rice. I don't even remember what else was on this dish nevertheless, the most yummiest dish of the night.

Loui's Kouzina...Our Own lil Food Fest

My last trip at Loui's Kouzina was for brunch.

This time I came for dinner.

Since I had a little altercation in the parking lot at the event Night It Up, me and my boyfriend decided to skip the food event and have our own food fest at Loui's Kouzina. Hey no problems finding parking here at least. I hate crowds don't know why I even tried to go to that crazy event. It was insane!!!

Ok enough of my ranting back to the food.

Phoenix aka Golden Phoenix

I like this place so much I went here 3 times in a row.

Phoenix is a cha chaan teng where they serve Hong Kong style cafe kind of food. Now to those who can't read Chinese we know it as Phoenix but to those who can read it's actually called Golden Phoenix. Whatever the name is, they serve really good food and very generous portions.

This post will be displaying all the food I had during each of my trip.

Before I begin, the one thing that is a MUST HAVE is the HK coffee tea drink. I ordered it every single time that I came. It was the best one I've had so far. Soooo refreshing and so good. I want one NOW!!!

Dinner #1.

Once we entered the restaurant my boyfriend was eying a bowl of noodles at a table next to us. He didn't even ask what it was. He just said I want to eat what that person is eating.

Here was the noodles he got. It was some sort of curry noodle soup with chunks of beef. I didn't taste this but my boyfriend slurped down the whole bowl. He sure enjoyed it.

Monsieur Felix & Mr. Norton

Chewy and gooey.

That is how you would describe the cookies from Monsieur Felix & Mr. Norton.

Their cookies are baked fresh everyday and there are no preservatives or trans fats. There are 14 cookie flavors available from caramelt to the classic milk chocolate chunk or another old time favorite,the macadamia and white chocolate chunk.

I couldn't resist so I bought one of each flavor plus a few extra cookies.

Little Bangkok in Markham

After our shoe shopping we were hungry.

Since I don't really know of any restos in Markham I texted a fellow foodie for some suggestions.

He highly recommended Little Bangkok. He said he found out about the place from a friend who was Thai. Well if that wasn't enough of a good reason what else is. So off we went to Bangkok since it was just a 5 minute drive from the shoe sale.

Sun's Kitchen

Last weekend I had a craving for the noodles at Sun's Kitchen so we finally drove out to Pacific Mall to get my noodles. Although it is located in the food court, do not and I repeat DO NOT be fooled. This kitchen always has a constant flow of customers lining up and with good reason to. The food is delicious and cheap, You just can't go wrong here.

You can't miss this place either. Just follow the loud thumping noises you will hear once you enter the vicinity. Also it's the busiest counter in the food court. Now the noise you hear is actually this guy who creates the fresh noodles by pulling and whipping it against the table. I tried to take a picture of him but he just moved too quickly for me. Pulled the noodle then whipped it a few times then threw it in the kitchen then came back out and repeated the process. I swear all within a few seconds. The same procedure over and over again. Noodle master hard at work where he takes his whipping seriously.

Here is part of the menu. I can't read the Chinese characters even though I'm Chinese I just order like any other non-Asian person would. I point at the picture and say, "I want that one!" Just kidding I just tell them the item number.

Here was my bowl of noodles. It's #16 on the menu. It's basically slices of boiled chicken and julienned cucumbers on top of a mountain of fresh hand-pulled noodles, garnished with parsley and drenched in some sort of sesame seasoning. Sounds simple but it's always the simple things that taste the best. Believe me the flavors weren't so simple here. I love the flavor of sesame although I think there might be some sort of soybean flavor in here as well but not quite sure. This is my favorite noodle here. I don't order anything else. Actually I don't think I've tried anything else before lol. Hmm maybe I should try something else but every single time I go there I can't help it the number 16 just shoots right out of my mouth before I can think.

Here were some chive pancakes. Crispy yet fluffy on the inside filled with bright green chives. It was tasty.

This is on my list of best cheap eats. Homemade noodles, delicious food and great portions. One more thing all entrees come with a bowl of soup and a cup of soy milk. That's another added bonus. More bang for your buck.

TOTAL BILL $12...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Sun's Kitchen

4350 Steeles Ave. East (Food Court)

(close to Kennedy)

905-947-8463

Novello Desserts

Upon entering Novello Desserts, me and my girlfriend were just standing there staring in awe salivating at all the goodies on display.

After much deliberation we decided to purchase the gingerbread cookie, some hazelnut pastry, cannoli with vanilla filling and carrot cupcake.

My favorite was the cannoli. My friend tried to break it in half and well didn't succeed. It was hilarious as she was breaking the cannoli the powdered sugar flew straight up and it looked like it had snowed all over the table. For a moment we just stared at the after effects and was slightly confused and shocked at what had happened. Note to self. Never split a cannoli again.

The carrot cupcake was cold since it was refrigerated so it wasn't fluffy but it tasted good. I'm pretty sure if it was straight out of the oven it would've tasted even better.

The hazelnut pastry had some sort of hazelnut filling inside as well and it was a delight.

Wish I could say the same for the gingerbread cookie. This I did not like at all. It was dry and had no flavor whatsoever. It was like all the ginger flavor was sucked right out of it and this was the final result, a bland tasteless cookie. It was a huge disappointment.

After we finished our first round of treats we couldn't help ourselves we wanted gelato as well. Especially since we were seated right next to the counter. It was just staring at us in the face and taunting us. We got the hazelnut gelato and another cannoli but this time with ricotta filling since our server told us it was the most popular cannoli. We ate the gelato first since we didn't want it to melt. It was creamy and full of nutty flavor. So good. The cannoli was good as well although since we had the gelato first I think it kinda ruined our palette a bit. I couldn't really taste the ricotta filling at all. Think I was all sweetened out from everything.

Here are some other pictures I took. Here is the store front. I can't remember what shop was next to it. Then again I don't think there is much in the area to begin with.

Here are some pastries and tarts. At first my friend had her eye on the red velvet cupcake but we settled on the carrot since it was their regular cupcake. The red velvet was a new flavor they were testing out.

Here are some cookies although I'm not sure what kind of cookie they were. I wished they labelled everything so it would make things a lot easier.

Here is the display of gingerbread cookies. See why I had to buy one. They looked so delish. Sadly, it was a failure.

Here is the display of gelato that kept calling out to us.

Everything is freshly prepared at the back of the store. They even serve some sandwiches, pasta, and some other food as well.

TOTAL BILL $10...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Loui's Kouzina

Definitely a hidden gem in the town of Markham.

If you want a home cooked Greek meal then head over to Loui's Kouzina.

It's a cozy little restaurant located in the plaza at Woodbine and 16th. The place is filled with pictures of Greece hanging on the walls and there's an open kitchen at the back of the restaurant where you can see the cook prepare the dishes.

Me and my friend wanted something from the breakfast menu as well as an item from the lunch menu so we got the best of both worlds and ordered one from each menu.

For out starter we couldn't decide between the spanakopita or whether to try something new. Our waitress told us everything on the menu was homemade including the dips. The only exception was the spinach pie. Upon hearing that we decided to opt for the biftekia which is grilled beef balls. It was a good choice. Although at first glance it looked like 4 burnt black balls nonetheless, it did not taste scorched at all. It was juicy and savory. I never tasted meat balls that flavorful before. It was a hit.

Next is the moussaka. This was my very first time trying it and it was absolutely delicious. It had crazy layers of texture and flavor comprised from potato, eggplant, zucchini and ground beef all topped with bechamel sauce and served with a side of Greek salad. It tasted light despite the look of it and yet hearty and comforting at the same time. I will certainly be remembering the word moussaka from now on.

From the breakfast menu we chose the french toast. It was a great way to end off the meal. It was pretty much our dessert. At first it just looked like regular toasted bread but once again looks are deceiving. This was yummy.

I definitely have to return to try out the remaining items. You can feel the passion and love put into the food. The waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable on all the food items. Excellent quality, generous portions and great service. All in all a perfect place for an authentic Greek dining experience. OPA!!!

TOTAL BILL $33...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Loui's Kouzina

9255 Woodbine Ave.

(close to 16th)

905-887-6464

Royal Teahouse

On Friday night me and my friend went to the spa for a little indulgence. Once the pampering was over we were both in a tranquilized state of mind. Calm and serene. However once we left the blissful spa our stomachs started growling. We decided to head to this Chinese restaurant called Royal Teahouse.

Boy was it a "royal" disaster.

When a restaurant specializes in a certain type of cuisine you should order whatever their house special is. Well stupid me I wanted to try something new and man was it a bad move on my part.

To start off the meal we were given complimentary soup. It was some sort of pork bone soup with vegetable and lotus nuts. It was delicious. Definitely tasted like homemade soup my mom normally makes. Too bad I can't say the same for the next 2 dishes.

Here were the dishes we wanted to "try".

Braised pork with taro and fried milk with papaya and pineapple served over a bed of broccoli. After reading the name again I'm wondering why did we ever order these in the first place. It doesn't even sound appetizing yet here are the pictures.

The pork was tender but the sauce itself was just plain horrible. I think it was smelly and not in a good way. As for the broccoli dish the fried milk caught our attention since we never tried it before but it was disgusting. I took a bite of the pineapple and immediately spitted it back out. That's how bad it was. It was so repulsive I couldn't help myself.

Unlike the last 2 dishes, the next 2 were actually enjoyable. They were both from the dim sum menu.

Here is fried pumpkin pancake and beef balls with bean curd.

I never had fried pumpkin before and it was delicious. Think there were bits of water chestnut as well which gave it a nice crunchy texture. The beef balls were average but at least it was edible unlike the previous two dishes.

Lastly we were given complimentary bowls of sweet red bean soup. It was too watery and not enough red beans.

In the end, we tried a few new dishes but 2 of them were an epic fail.

After this experience I just don't want to ever return again no matter how good their dim sum is.

TOTAL BILL $34...ONCE IS ENOUGH!!!

Ippai

On Friday night I went to Ippai for dinner with a friend.

At first I almost couldn't find the place since it was so dark so didn't know where it was located. According to the map it was close to Apple Creek Blvd. I drove past the road and just randomly turned into the next plaza. I almost left the plaza since I didn't see the restaurant but luckily caught a glimpse of the pink colored sign on my way out.

The menu was full of options. We didn't know what to order. Ten minutes later after browsing through the pages we settled on a few rolls and an appetizer.

Here is Okonomiyaki which is Japanese styled pancake. The word okonomi means 'what you like' or 'what you want' and yaki means 'grilled' or 'cooked'. There are a variety of toppings and batters used to create this Japanese style pancake so think the name Okonomiyaki means what do you like cooked.

I love the Japanese language. It sounds so adorable and it's fun trying to figure out how to pronounce the words. Can be a tongue twister at times but the nevertheless I would love to learn the language one day.

Out of the four flavors available we opted for the BBQ pork. The remaining flavors were seafood, chicken and beef.

This was delicious. I think the meat tasted like those BBQ pork buns from dim sum except this had other ingredients along with it which I don't quite remember what they were. The only thing I remembered were the flakes of onions on top which were moving when it arrived.

For sushi, we ordered the spider roll, spicy salmon roll, dragon roll, and some sort of hand roll my friend picked out which I'm not quite sure what it was but it was all very scrumptious.

Lastly our desserts. No matter how stuffed I am I always seem to have room for sweets.

Here we have rice cake with black sesame ice cream and green tea ice cream with fried banana tempura.

It was delicious. I never ate black sesame flavored ice cream before and this definitely was true to its name. Although the appearance looked like a lump of grey charcoal however, it was yummy.

My friend enjoyed her dessert as well but portion wise it was a meal itself. Think it could have used some sort of sauce on the tempura but other than that she thought it was decent.

The food here was pretty good but too bad I can't say the same for the service. In the beginning when we were seated our waitress was very attentive. But near the middle of the meal she completely ignored us. I wanted some more tea so I kept looking around hoping to catch her attention but she completely avoided me. There were two servers in total and neither of them cared to come and refill our teapot. They were bustling around attending to others but don't know why they wouldn't come to our table. I assure you we were not loitering we have only been there for an hour which is decent timing for a meal. We finally received our drinks after we asked for our bill.

Aside from being deprived of my tea, the food was decent. I would return to try out their ramen next. Hopefully the service will be much better the second time around.

TOTAL BILL $60...EAT HERE NEXT!!!

Ippai

8865 Woodbine Ave.

(b/n Hwy 7 & 16th)

905-470-1688