Phoenix Restaurant

Phoenix Restaurant (8190 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill, Ontario)

905-886-1113

Iced milk tea.

I like it. Not as watered down as some other places.

Lamb curry.

I think the curry was okay, but there were some inedible pieces of really chewy meat. 

Would I return? Probably. It's passable. 

Total damage: approximately $10, give or take $1-$2. 

Phoenix

Phoenix Restaurant (8190 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill, Ontario)

905-886-1113

Jess's thick toast.

I think this is number 1 on the afternoon tea menu.

It was okay. Definitely filling. 

Would I return? Probably. The Jess and Josie like the strong milk tea that they have there. 

Total damage: I can't remember.

Phoenix Restaurant

Phoenix Restaurant (8190 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill, Ontario)

905-886-1113

Jess's milk tea.

Jess's thick toast with black sesame sauce.

My seafood macaroni.

It was a bit underwhelming in terms of seafood, and there could've been more cheese, but I suppose I can't expect much for that price. I'm actually not a big fan of that tasteless white sauce many of these types of restaurants use for pasta/noodles.

Jess likes it here because the milk tea is strong and flavourful and their afternoon tea specials start a bit earlier than most other Hong Kong style restaurants in the area. Josie avoids this place because either her or her coworker (I can't remember) had stomach problems after eating there.

Would I go back? Probably. I'm a fan of cheapo afternoon meal deals.

Total damage: I can't remember, but it was cheap.

Goldsor

Goldsor (550 Highway 7 East, Richmond Hill, Ontario)
905-881-8392

Clam fusilli 

This would be selection 'O' on their afternoon tea (3 - 5 p.m.) special menu. It comes with a drink. It's pretty filling as a meal. The vegetables are of the frozen variety. The clams are present. It's nothing I wouldn't be able to make at home, but they make it for an affordable price. Chris summed it up as "pasta, clams, and tomato soup. And frozen vegetables." And that's pretty much all there is to it. 

Would I return? Well, I keep going back to this joint because it's cheap. And they're actually kind of nice there. 

Total damage: $12 for the pasta dish and a French toast. Each of those came with a (hot unless you want to add 50 cents) drink. 

Goldsor Restaurant

Goldsor Restaurant (550 Highway 7 East, Richmond Hill, Ontario)
905-881-8392

Smoked salmon fettucini.

Iced milk tea.

Cheap afternoon tea specials. The vegetables are of the frozen variety, and the meat might be a bit sparse, but you pretty much get what you pay for. I thought the iced milk tea was pretty good.

Would I go back? Yes. How can I say no to that kind of cheapness?

Total damage: <$10 all inclusive.

Keung's Restaurant

Keung's Restaurant (8380 Kennedy Road, Markham, Ontario)
905-940-0488
(Not to be confused with Kenny's Delight)

Josie's instant noodles with sausages and egg.

My beef with instant noodles in soup.

It was good. There was enough meat. It's instant noodles, so I wasn't expecting anything fancy.

Street-style rice noodle rolls.

Nothing to complain about there. 

The drinks that come with the meals (during afternoon tea time).

My Spanish coffee (left) tasted instant, but I can see this ice creamed drink being refreshing on a hot day.

Would I go back? Yeah! It seems a little cleaner than some other restaurants of this style.

Total damage: free for me thanks to Josie! :D

Keung's Delight

Keung'sDelight (7030 Warden Avenue, Markham)

At the corner of Warden and Steeles, there is a plaza with many Asian restaurants and a large Chinese grocery store (and Boston Pizza and Shoppers Drug Mart). It may seem daunting to find parking on a Saturday afternoon, but the trick is to park near the non-Asian establishments. I've never had trouble finding spaces near Boston Pizza. Seriously.

There is a variety of eating establishments in this T&T plaza, but not all of them offer a cheap, late lunch. They call it "High-Tea" and it runs from 3-5:30 p.m. I don't care what they call it as long as it's cheap and good.

Just like Keung Kee, any food item in the High-Tea special menu comes with a free drink of your choice.

We arrive around 3 p.m. and there's already a line of people waiting to be seated. The line moves quickly and it takes about 10 minutes for us to get a table for four.

Expecting tea in the teapot, I am a little surprised to find out that it's just warm water.
Chris always orders the crispy chicken in black bean sauce on rice in these kinds of restaurants, so I decided to try it this time. The chicken is quite crispy, and the portion is huge. Judging by the size and the serving spoon it came with, it seems like a dish that was made to be shared. I eat it all.
Iced red bean drink:
I don't love the type of milk they use in this drink. I think it's condensed milk. Maybe it would've tasted better with ice cream.

I try a piece of deep fried crispy milk.

You're supposed to dip it in sugar, but I kind of like it without the sugar.

After a while, a waitress replaces our warm water with tea. That's the way it should be.

There is a happy face on the bill.
That bill is for four people, each of us having a drink. Cheapness!

Damage for the crispy chicken on rice and red bean drink: $6.45 + tax + tip.

Keung Kee

Keung Kee (3300 Midland Avenue, Scarborough)

On most days, in the hours between lunch and dinner, many Chinese tea restaurants will have afternoon tea specials. These are usually dishes that are prepared quickly, and priced really low. They often include a coffee, tea, or milk tea, and cold drinks are generally fifty cents extra; however, at Keung Kee, you can have your choice of any drink.

So I picked a fancy iced red bean ice cream drink (number 87 on the afternoon tea menu):

The bottom is filled with sweet red beans, and the rest is made up of crushed ice, vanilla ice cream, and I think there's some milk in there too. It's a great summer drink. 

Satay beef with macaroni in soup (number 2 on the afternoon tea menu):
It tasted right, but the sauce had an unappealing mucous texture. I'm just going to assume that's from added cornstarch that's commonly used to thicken sauces. The beef wasn't overcooked, so that was good.

I had to take a picture of Chris's meal, which was crispy chicken in satay sauce on rice. The portion was just so massive. 

I liked my drink, but I would've been better off ordering a different food item. 

Damage for my soup macaroni and drink: $4.25 + tax + tip.