Eating With Gordon

There are many Chinese bakeries in the Markham and Richmond Hill area. However, Duo Patisserie is a rare French patisserie shop in the area. I have to admit the food can be expensive but well worth the price if you like high quality.

For my baby's special occasion milestone, I ordered the Garden cake with the chocolate signature tag. Duo had 2 other cake options for reservations.

Food Rating: 4.5/5


Food Comments:
The cake was very delicious. The vanilla cream had fresh vanilla pods/seeds. The half maracrons were soft and tasty. The candy citrus peel was great topping addition. Please note that the cakes here are very pricey!

PS, Will have to bring my daughter to try this when she is much older!

Food Cake Photo: 

Address:	230 Commerce Valley Dr E, Markham, ON L3T 7Y3
Phone:	(905) 763-2232
Website:	duo-patisserie.com
Hours:	Sunday 11–6PM Monday CLOSED Tuesday 10–7PM Wednesday 10–7PM Thursday 10–7PM Friday 10–7PM Saturday 10–7PM
Map:

I was made aware of this restaurant thanks to Richie Bear. My work colleague and I had some free time (no meetings) and decided to try out this new restaurant for lunch in the Markham area. Gyubee is an all-you-can-eat Japanese BBQ restaurant that serves up tasty food. However, you have to cook the food yourself on the hot grill.

Food Rating: 4/5
Service: 4/5

Atmosphere:
The restaurant location was difficult to find especially if you aren't familiar with the area. The restaurant was located at the base of an official building. The restaurant wasn't busy at the beginning but started to get busier towards lunch time. The layout was like an alleyway with seats along the window. The restaurant was very clean.

Service:
The servers spoke Cantonese and English. They were very friendly to my questions and requests (for water).
They confirmed that there was no free wifi and that the meat sauces and dry spice dip were made by the Chef's (secret recipe). One of the staff noticed that I grilled the meat poorly and she assisted in cooking and teaching us. It was kind of nice of her to help with the cooking the rest of our meats but it also prevented us from socializing ...

Food Comments:
The lunch menu was typically AYCE. However, we requested the set lunch menu which included meats for grilling. My coworker and I decided on the A+B combo. The staff noted that you can get unlimited rice, miso soup or salad (with thousand island sauce). In the end, we got Kalbi and Marinated Boneless short ribs and Beef Brisket.

It was fun grilling your own meats and the meat cuts weren't bad. With the addition of the sweet sauce and the dry sauce dip, you were sent to a different taste elevation. 

Would I come back? Yes - the staff were very courteous and the food was delicious (especially if you grill well)! Please note - you have to pay debit or cash!

Food Photos:

A+ B Meat Cuts

Chef's secret sauce and dry sauce dip

Set Lunch - unlimited if you want

Non Food Photos:

To educate foodies on the food cuts

Cash ONLY ...

Address:	7100 Woodbine Ave #100, Markham, ON L3R 5J2
Phone:	(905) 604-1904
Website:	NA
Hours:	Sunday 12AM-11PM Monday 11:30AM–3PM, 4PM–11PM Tuesday CLOSED Wednesday 11:30AM–3PM, 4PM–11PM Thursday 11:30AM–3PM, 4PM–11PM Friday 11:30AM–3PM, 4PM–12AM Saturday Open 24 Hours
Map:

A group of friends and I came to try out their restaurant during their soft opening week. This restaurant is one of the newer Thai restaurant in Toronto with same management from Kub Khao Thai (review here) and Jatujak.

Food Comments: 3.5/5
Service: 3.5/5

Atmosphere:
The restaurant wasn't large and had a layout like an alleyway with maximum 24 seats and limited single seats along the front windows and one side of the restaurant. Parking in front of the restaurant was very limited. There is some paid parking near the Hero restaurant and some free parking in the neighborhood area.

Service:
There was a single server. She was friendly and got the orders down. The food took sometime to arrive at our tables (probably 30 minutes). Even thou my dish didn't come with the group, the server was constantly checking to see which dish I was missing ...

Note: they do have free wifi but you need to ask for the password. 

Food Comments:
We got complimentary shrimp chips with peanut sauce. The sauce was thick and sweet.

The Khao Soi Poutine with Beef was shared among the group.  The sauce in this poutine was replaced from gravy to curry soup base used in the Khao Soi. It was very tasty and comforting (really great on a cold day).

For this meal, I ordered the Khao Soi. I tried the Khao Soi across multiple Thai restaurants. The curry base was great with the toppings. The only negative comment was that the rice noodle texture was too soft. The quantity of the dishes were definitely larger compared to other restaurants like Khao San Road (review here).

Overall, I liked the meal. It would be great to find some time to come back to try other dishes (especially their fusion dishes).

Food Photos:

Khao Soi

Pad See Ewe with Tofu

Ramen Tom Yum

Pad Kee Mao with Beef

Pad Krapro Kai Dao

Khao Soi Poutine

Free Shrimp Chips with Peanut Satay Sauce

Non Food Photos:

Address:	4704 Yonge St. Toronto, ON M2N 5M4
Phone:	(647) 352-898
Website:	http://eatbkk.ca/our-menu/
Hours:	Sunday 11–10PM Monday 11–10PM Tuesday 11–10PM Wednesday 11–10PM Thursday 11–10PM Friday 11–10PM Saturday 11–10PM
Map:

A small group of friends and I were looking for something new and unique to try. Having tried Kiu before, I suggested to my wife the Kiu restaurant and she agreed. Was trying to book reservations and eventually found a time slot at 5:30 pm for weekend date. The next available time slot was 8 pm ...

For details on where Kiu can be found - it is available on my first post at the bottom.

Food Rating: 4/5
Service: 4/5

Service:
There were many servers at the beginning of the night and they were very helpful and courteous. Towards  the end of the meal, there the servers were harder to flag down. Overall, their services were friendly and quick.

Food Comments:
Wife and I ordered the original ramen dishes (safe choice) since I had heard that the sushi wasn't that good. The originals ramen dishes were amazing. With the meal, we had to grind the white / black sesame seeds in a side dish. "Tan Tan" noodles had a small spicy flavour to the soup base but it wasn't overpowering. The ramen dishes weren't filling and they don't have options on the menu to add more noodles. Hence, you would order another dish ...

Would I come back? Yes! (based on other foodie feedback, I shall respond in the future with binary coding to questions).

Food Photos:

Ramen Isshin Originals - Black Sesame Tan Tan Noodle

Ramen Isshin Originals - White Sesame Shio Ramen

Sushi ordered for the toddlers (yes - the children can eat sushi!)

Non Food Photos:

Picture of the menu for dinner from the Ramen Bar

Richmond Hill isn't known for having a selection of restaurants/cafes serving up non-Asian cuisine but this "Bamiyan Kabob" is an exception to the trend. I was suggested to this restaurant from many work colleagues. My colleague informed me that this restaurant has other locations within Toronto and they were good in execution and providing tasty food.

Food Rating: 4.5/5
Service: Self Service

Atmosphere:

The restaurant was located in the Richmond Hill area (beside Chako) with many other restaurants. Parking was never an issue in this plaza. Once you enter the restaurant, there was a giant counter with long lines. You decided on an order and pay at the counter. The restaurant had steps for different level seating and had a mix of booths and plain chairs. The restaurant was clean, warm and well lit with the orange walls. Don't expect much for decor...

Service:
We had paid at the counter and just wait for the ticket number to be called. Normally at lunch time, there were LONG LONG lines. Once the number was called, we took our food tray to our tables.

Food Comments:
The Bamiyan Kabob dinner menu items were famous and popular. The ingredients were simple; however, there was such amazing depth of flavours. The Brown basmatii rice was coated in some kind of butter/oil sauce. The rice alone was great to eat without anything. The naan was very different from other Indian restaurants such that the texture was harder and chewy. The meats in the restaurant are the signature pieces of the meal. They were seasoned and spiced while maintain their meat moisture.  Overall, the meals were very large (more than enough for 1-2 people).


TIPS:
You can ask for water behind the counter. They have a spicy salsa sauce if you want (but need to ask for it).

Would I come back? Definitely

Food Photos:

Mango drink was great

Their giant hard naans

Address:	161 York Blvd, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4
Phone:	(905) 763-9090
Website:	www.bamiyankabob.com/
Hours:	Sunday 12AM–10PM Monday 11AM–11PM Tuesday 11AM–11PM Wednesday 11AM–11PM Thursday 11AM–11PM Friday 11AM–11PM Saturday 11AM–11PM
Map:

There was a new restaurant that replaced an old Korean restaurant at the Finch and Leslie plaza. My SO decided to give this place a try. The name of this new restaurant was called "Primary Taste Yunnan Noodle House" and their specialty dish was the rice noodle soup from Yunnan province. More info can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_bridge_noodles

Food Rating: 3/5
Service: 3.5/5

Atmosphere:
The location of this restaurant was beside the BBQ shop (outdoor section of the plaza). The parking at this plaza wasa hit and miss (depending on how many people go shopping at Sunny's supermarket). The restaurant renovated a bit by changing the layout to be a long alley restaurant with sides flanked with tables and chairs. I wouldn't expect too much in the decor but at least the restaurant looked clean.

Service:
The staff was friendly and quick to assist in our orders and provided us cold and hot water.

Food Comments:
The Yunnan noodle soup was brought to our table in a boiling stone pot of broth. The clear broth came with a side of noodles and an assortment of small toppings which included some preserved veggies, ham, corn, chicken wing, etc. The noodles were good but I found the toppings totally distracting.

Would I come back? No

Food Pictures:

I need a new camera...

Address:	109 Ravel Rd, North York, ON M2H 1T2
Phone:	(416) 499-3836
Website:	NA
Hours:	Sunday 11AM–9PM Monday 11AM–9PM Tuesday 11AM–9PM Wednesday 11AM–9PM Thursday 11AM–9PM Friday 11AM–9PM Saturday 11AM–9PM
Map:

My work colleagues and I decided to visit this "new" restaurant after hearing recommendations from my dear's colleagues. This restaurant location has been cursed for a long time. "Fish House" and Le Biftheque (loved the croutons) were the previous host of this location. I had high hopes for "Gold Mark Chinese Cuisine"...

Food Rating: 3.5/5
Service: 3/5

Atmosphere:
The restaurant totally gutted the entire place and make it like one giant large room with possible subdivisions for certain events (very spacious). The place was very well light and had a lot of golden/yellow color themes across the restaurant. The restaurant looked like any other Chinese restaurant but much cleaner and brighter.

There was ample parking spaces in this large parking lot.

Service: 
The staff was friendly. There was free wifi access in the  restaurant.

Food Comments:
The food options on the dim sum paper menu were pretty typical of other Chinese dim sum restaurants. The food was also average tasting compared to other restaurants. However, the pricing per dish was more expensive compared to other dim sum places!

Would I come back? No

Food Photos:

Non-Food Photos:

Address:	7501 Woodbine Ave, Markham, ON L3R 2W1
Phone:	(905) 477-2268
Website:	goldmarkchinesecuisine.com
Hours:	Sunday 9AM–10PM Monday 9AM–10PM Tuesday 9AM–10PM Wednesday 9AM–10PM Thursday 9AM–10PM Friday 9AM–10PM Saturday 9AM–10PM
Map: