Artisan Noodle

Artisan Noodle (5421 Yonge Street, North York)

647-345-1155

Hours (from website):

Mon - Thurs: 11:30 - 10:30

Fri: 11:30 - 11:00

Sat - Sun: 12:00 - 11:00

But here's something good to know: they're closed on Tuesdays.

Every time I pass by this place, there is always people in it. During meal times, a line can often be seen out the door. There seems to be hype around this place since it opened not too long ago. Take-out is encouraged by staff to preserve their tiny seating section, I guess. 

They offer Xi'an style food... I'm not going to pretend that I know where that is or what that food is supposed to taste like.

Pork jia mo $3.99.

It was good. The bun is crispy on the outside, and the meat is a good amount. It was leaking meat juices as Monique ate it. Meat juice is always good. Pretty filling.

Yo po biang biang mian $9.99. It's noodles with meat and vegetables with garlic, ginger, and chilli oil sauce.

This is a pretty colourful and exciting dish. There is a good amount of raw garlic and scallions on top, so be sure to mix before eating, and talk less after eating. Monique seemed to like her order.

The "hand-slapped" fat noodles of the yo po biang biang mian.

 Soy stewed beef noodle soup $9.99.

I am a sucker for noodles made by hand. There is a nice bounce to them. Good portion of meat and noodles. The soup definitely had a nice soy sauce flavour to it. Couldn't complain about the meat.

My one gripe is that the whole place seats about ten people in pretty squished arrangement. It's hard to get to the bench along the wall without knocking or moving a table. There's a mural featuring cartoon people making noodles, all with a look that I can only describe as maniacal laughter face. It's a little funny and kind of scary at the same time. On another wall, a light-projected logo spins and spins and spins. The table legs are made of pipes; they look cool, but try not to hit them with your shins.

Would I return? Yup! I quite enjoyed the pork jia mo and soy stewed beef noodle soup, and I would be interested in trying out the other noodles they offer, too. The prices are fair, and portions are happily filling. Also, I am a bit of a noodle monster. It's not a fancy place (water is given out of styrofoam cups, and we used disposable chopsticks to eat), but it's comfy enough. I'd probably do take-out next time anyway because I'm not a fan of cramped spaces full of people.

Top four photos taken by Monique. Thanks to her for checking this place out with me! Go Mandarin-speaking friends who order for me!

Little India

Little India (255 Queen Street West, Toronto)

416-205-9836

Hours of Operation:

Sun and Mon: 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.

Tues - Sat: 11:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m.

I was taken to this Indian restaurant by Vivian and Bianca. I have limited experience in eating Indian food, but I think I generally liked it.

I ordered the lamb vindaloo (middle). We were warned that this was the spiciest item on the menu. One of us asked of they could tone it down a bit, and they acquiesced. It was still pretty spicy. Vivian insisted on butter chicken (left). She said it was the best in Toronto. I thought it was too sweet for my likings; I'm not sure if I don't like butter chicken, or if I don't like that butter chicken.

Garlic kulcha

Apparently, this is a must, according to Vivian

We ordered some meat platter which was exciting in its variety. I think it also came with two of the three side bowls we had. 

Also eaten was the pakora appetizer. It was crunchy and tasty.

Would I return? Yes. The food is good, and the prices are reasonable. There were leftovers from what we ordered since we were all full to the max. The only thing that some people might be wary of is the smell; the food smell is quite strong and it hits you like a hammer in the face when you walk in. I think I'd be interested in their buffet available daily from 11:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Total damage: I think it was less than $25 per person. 

Kinton Ramen

Kinton Ramen (51 Baldwin Street, Toronto)

Hours: Mon - Sun: 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

647-748-8900

This place is pretty tiny and I've heard that it's always packed. We got there around 1 p.m. on a weekday, and the wait for our party of four was about 20 minutes. They don't take reservations. We ended up at a table in the back, sharing it with other customers.

Spicy garlic ramen with pork belly ($9.80)

There's a choice of pork belly or pork shoulder with each of their noodles. The slab of meat I got seemed dry at first bite, but it seemed okay afterwards... possibly because it soaked up the broth? I'm not sure. There was also the option of light, regular, or rich broth. I got the rich one because I enjoy intense flavour. The broth was good. It wasn't very spicy, but that small mound of garlic certainly delivered. The noodles were good consistency, and they had that bit of bounce that I like.

Bianca and Amanda each got a cheese ramen ($10.80).

It seemed very cheesy, but they noted that the cheese melted into large clumps that were a bit difficult to eat. 

Would I return? Yeah... when I have a lot of time... and don't want to talk to the people I'm with. There's all sorts of noise coming from the staff, similar to what you'd hear in Guu - you know, cheering, greeting, and the like. The environment makes it hard to hear anything else. The wait makes it hard for it to be a quick lunch. I liked what I ate, though. It should also be noted that they don't have air conditioning, but there are fans all over the restaurant. Oh, and their sawaa drinks are priced similarly to the bottled beers. Fair enough.

Chingu

Chingu (280 West Beaver Creek Road, Richmond Hill)

905-763-0620

Hours:

Mon - Thurs 11:30 a.m - 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.

Fri - Sun 11:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., 5:30 p.m. - 1 a.m.

Josie had Korean barbecue cravings, so I suggested Chingu, remembering that their all-you-can-eat business included pork bone soup. 

Korean appetizers

Yay to glass noodles and the fish cake thingies. 

I like their pork bone soup, but Jo noted that she remembered it having more peppercorns and stuff last time. I still liked it. 

I spared the pictures of the raw meat, but on the regular AYCE option we got, there was fish, pork belly, pork in red sauce, beef, short ribs, squid, and I can't remember what else. It comes with lettuce, and chopped up lettuce with spicy seasoning. You're meant to wrap meat in the lettuce and shove the seasoned lettuce in that as well. Lettuce in lettuce still seems kind of weird to me. 

The deluxe AYCE menu that we didn't get included things like tofu soup, handmade dumplings, salmon, and I can't remember what else.

There's also ice cream at the end.

There's still at 15% automatic gratuity charge, but it's well deserved. Staff nonchalantly eyed us as we cooked, making sure that if the grill got too crusted up with black stuff, they would change it. 

Would I return? Yes. Their marinated beef is pretty awesome and I appreciate that it comes with lettuce.  I also like that they're actually Korean. I'm a fan of the pork bone soup as well. Also, chingu means friend. :D

Total damage: approximately $25. (It's cheaper than that by a few bucks on weekdays.)

Phoenix

Phoenix Restaurant (8190 Bayview Avenue, Thornhill, Ontario)

905-886-1113

A02: Fish bean curd and Yunnan noodles in soup... or something like that.

I can't really remember what it's called. I like the soft bean curd poufs. I switched the standard noodles for other noodles, but I'm not sure what I switched it for because Jo ordered it for me in Chinese. Overall, it's very plentiful, and could probably feed two people. Other soup noodles of this variety can come in combo form with a drink. Renée got the fish slices in soup noodles and I'll admit that it tasted better than it sounded. The fish was peppery and not super bland.

Would I return? Sure. Jo likes their cold Hong Kong style milk tea, and the prices are cheap enough. They've repackaged their menu into a nicer bound book with lots of pictures. We also saw a staff member wiping down menus with steaming water later in the night. I was impressed and it's good to know that they're cleaned.

Total damage: approximately $7. Jo had a receipt from before which gave us 10% off our meal. I don't know how long that promotion is going to last.