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.

Starbucks

Happy Hour Frappuccinos are back at Starbucks.

I got my grande mocha cookie crumble for a total of $2.68.

It tastes like Java chip, which is why I liked it.

If you want to be really beastly, you can get a venti for about $0.10 more. Fel, Bianca and Viv all did and one of them couldn't finish hers. The calories in that drink could have been dinner for many people. Get yours now until May 13 between 3-5 p.m. 

Would I return? Probably by peer pressure. While the rest of them got venti, I'm surprised that I could restrain myself to a grande.

Izakaya Ju

Izakaya Ju (3-3160 Steeles Avenue East, Markham, Ontario)
905-474-1058

In J-town, there's a small izakaya that's unlike any that I've been to. It feels more like a small restaurant, and maybe that's because the set-up is almost the same as the adjacent ramen noodle place. In fact, they share washrooms, and I almost walked back into the wrong establishment.

I didn't have much to eat (I actually only had a drink), but Mel's dumpling stuffed chicken wings looked interesting. They deboned a part of the wing, and stuffed it with dumpling filling.

Would I return? Sure. There's a chalkboard full of menu items on the wall, and I remember some of them being interesting. Plus, the plum wine sawa I got wasn't bad. The only thing is that it closes kind of early for an izakaya. I think it was either 10 or 11 p.m... might have been a Thursday or Friday night. I don't know; I like to drink into the night. They have wifi, but Jo couldn't connect to it, even after getting the password.

Total damage: $10 for my plum wine sawa.

Flat Rock Cellars

Flat Rock Cellars 2010 Riesling

Having previously tried the 2009 Riesling the night before, this one was a lot less dry, and it was sweeter (and less sour). The colour was very pale as well. It got dryer as I drank more of it. Quite enjoyable.

Total damage: free for me thanks to Josie! But it'll cost about $17-something plus tax at your local LCBO.

Ka Chi (414 Dundas Street West, Toronto)

416-598-3222

Hours: 

10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. daily

Squid and beef.

Pork bone soup.

The meat looks so pink!

Bulgogi bibimbap.

It looks real legit.

#18. Bulgogi rice cakes ($8.50).

The rice cakes do a good job at absorbing the bulgogi flavour, but it's also good to take other people's leftover rice and soak it in the sauce.

Would I return? I sure would. It's clean, and the food is pretty decent. I still have yet to try their pork bone soup where the pork is super pink. 

Marathon Donuts & Coffee

Marathon Donuts & Coffee (unit 32, 3300 Midland Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario)

416-299-9511

Google maps hint: don't type in Scarborough when searching. It will lead you to somewhere else.

The place looks like a coffee shop that could have been around longer than I have. The menu looks extensive, but we really just wanted to try their Hong Kong style milk tea. Jo has been saying that it came in third place in some sort of North American milk tea competition. 

The milk teas came in paper cups, but they definitely weren't watered down. Renée got the iced version and though it wasn't bad, we decided that the hot version was superior. Jo and Renée still like the cold milk tea at Phoenix better (they chill it and serve it with no ice, so the flavour is more intense).

Would I return? I would if someone drove me. It's a bit out of the way in this whatever Chinese plaza. The milk tea is good though. The staff is pretty friendly and non-threatening. We stayed there for a good while just hanging out and watching the Chinese game show that was on their TV without any hassle.

Total damage: $1.60.

Eskimo Ice Fruit House

Eskimo Ice Fruit House
It's around here on Dundas Street West, Toronto.

Braised beef and rice

Approximately $8. The beef was a rather dried out, and the rice seemed undercooked. It was mildly spicy. I think the fried chicken that other people had might have been a better choice. Yay to cucumber slices though. It came with a milk tea that tasted rather watered down to me. 

The first time I walked in, I noticed their desserts.

So I got the pistachio crunch business.

And I liked it. There was a special that offered a cake and a plain milk tea that totalled about $6.

It's a decent deal. The milk tea was again weak for my liking. 

Amanda really enjoyed her cookie crunch cake.

Bianca got the caramel latte mini cake.

Would I return? Maybe... the food wasn't great, but their cakes are okay - as they should be since they're La Rocca. It's a relatively quiet place to hang out, and it has some board games you can play - though we did not play them.

Fried Instant Noodles with Cheese!

Monique inspired Amanda to make fried instant noodles with cheese, and when Amanda brought that for lunch, I wanted in on that. 

My first attempt:

I threw in some frozen vegetables and shrimp. I also added an egg which made the concoction a little too liquid to want to stay in one piece in the pan. 

Attempt 2: no egg.

The cheddar cheese was crispy and delicious. More cheese = more better. I'm not sure if it was the lack of egg or the abundance of cheese that held this monster together. Whatever the case, it turned out pretty well according to my taste buds... my eyes can't say the same. :p

The take-home message: more cheese = more better!

Loblaws

Loblaws (60 Carlton Street, Toronto)

When they turned Maple Leaf Gardens into a giant Loblaws, I was really excited. We couldn't make it to the opening day, but Monique and I managed to find a day to visit. And we were glad we did!

The first thing we see: CUPCAKES!

Many kinds, different sizes. The display looks lovely.

 There's sushi, there's hot food, there's soups and sandwiches. Monique got chicken and sides and the chicken didn't look dry one bit. She was happy with it.

 In case you don't know where things are, there are giant signs. DELI!

There are plates of samples on top of the display. 

There are definitely some T&T elements in this Loblaws.

This thing scared the crap out of me, as it made gun sounds while shooting out those flat snacks.

The cheese selection looks extensive.

The block of carved chocolate looks kind of cool... but I thought it was going to be giant.

Uptairs, there's some tables, a cooking school,  Joe Fresh, and one more thing...

LCBO! Loblaws + LCBO = magic. I wish I could live there.

The LCBO had Korbel! 

But I picked up a bottle of this instead.

There wasn't regular Sir Perry, but there was Sir Perry Berry. 

We had to go back and get some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting infusion (approximately $3.50 each).

That was a lot of cream cheese. I felt like there was 1/2 a pack of Philadelphia in there. The flavour was good, but the cake could have been softer. I'd get it again. It would satisfy my random cake cravings.

Would I return?
Yes. That cooked chicken looked really good. Free samples and nice staff are right around the corner. There were cheese samples, cold cut samples, cake samples, cracker and spread samples, Chinese cookie samples, and bread samples... and we didn't even go into the grocery section yet. The LCBO upstairs had a good selection of stuff I want.

Village By the Grange Food

Village By the Grange (Dundas Street West and St. Patrick Street, Toronto)

At the corner of Dundas West and St. Patrick to about McCaul, there's a small food court that has a pretty good variety of food. It may look a little old, but it definitely has character and some family run options that you wouldn't find in other food courts.

Monique got this hearty breakfast meal for lunch from Karine's.

There was fruit, there was meat and eggs, there were potatoes, and there was toast. All for about $6. She would've saved $1 if she had eaten there instead of getting take-out. I think they're green or something. They advertise various vegan options as well. 

Amanda got her spinach pie and salad from the Greek place for under $10.

I went to Red Red Noodles where the guy had great customer service. I like this place because they sometimes give you a large chunk of dragon fruit. It seems random though, as they don't always have it.

I got the one with BBQ pork and chicken, and a spring roll. You can get it on noodles too. The optional spicy sauce was no joke. You can see the pepper flakes and seeds in the picture, and I thought my mouth was going to explode. Bianca tried some, thinking I was being a wuss, and she had to cool her tongue with peanut butter and crackers. She looked like she was in pain. The food was decent. I like their chicken and their sauce is on fire!!! The meal was about $7. 

Chicken katsu from Sakura ($6.75)

That sauce is awesome. Always say yes to the sauce. I like their salad dressing, and I also like that I got two large pieces of chicken katsu. 

Would I return? To Village by the Grange? Sure. There's no reason not to. It has many options, from Greek to Chinese to vegan to Japanese, and it also has a McDonald's for familiar fast food convenience. Also, it's just too easy to find a filling meal there for under $10 - great for students. 

Warning: The simply titled Tasty Chinese Food joint at the corner may have cheap food, but it gave two people diarrhoea.