Where to eat

[SushiCat]

Yes I'm feeling sorry for a traveller who is going to be working hard in Markham for the next ten days and is staying in the area of 404/407 basically border of Markham/Richmond Hill.

So Ontarians come out of the woodwork and pass along some options for food - all meals - e.g. good coffee/breakfast, fast and easy lunch, and something for dinner too. Ingredients, e.g. a good cheese shop, some bread etc. also valuable replies!

Thanks! We will owe you and tempt you with Xiao Long Bao or great West coast high end food items in return!

[jenc]

lots of great chinese food up there, as well as an Indian place. Markham Plaza/Square has a Conge Wong, (cheap, decent), and an Asian Legend I think for XLB. well, a place for XLB for sure.

There's an all you can eat Sushi place at John and Woodbine which is ok, (quantity/variety there...), and uh... lots of chinese food places and BBT shops.

I don't think you can walk without tripping over a resto in that area, really.

Terra is up around thataway too. Part of the oliver bonacini set of restos, which fare rather well for business dinners, etc.

Edited December 4, 2006 by jenc (log)

[Endy']

I don't *think* Terra is part of Oliver and Bonacini, although I do vouch for the restaurant itself (not as good as it once was, but still good, especially when you consider its location).

for a fast an easy lunch I would recommend Jim Chai Kee, in a plaza on the north side of highway 7, west of Leslie. You'll know the plaza by the CIBC building and Just Desserts sign that face 7 (you won't see the restaurant itself). It's a hole in the wall that serves wontons and noodles.

there's also a place called J-Town, which is on Steeles, north side, 1 (?) light east of Woodbine. They have a little lunch counter and you can also go crazy with a big assortment of Japanese groceries and snacks.

I suspect for non-Asian ingredients you'd have to go west to at least Yonge.

for dinner I'd recommend Ambassador, which is in the same plaza as Jim Chai Kee. But others have raised serious service/food issues in this forum, so search for that thread; I've had nothing but good experiences myself, though.

[mkjr]

Magic Wok

Thread on Ambassador. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=94570

I also refer to a very high end place on Woodbine but do not know the name.

[jenc]

Hmn... Terra doesn't seem to be O&B... I always thought it was! oops. My bad.

OH! and at Steeles and Don Mills (or is it Leslie there?), Is the newly opened Congee Queen too. Haven't been myself, but the other location at Don Mills and Lawrence is great.

[sadistick]

Terra was originally a product of North 44 I believe...no longer, however.

Endy! I can't believe you are recommending Ambassador, ick!

Like mkjr said - http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=94570

My $.02 - there is an amazing thai/vietnameese place on highway 7 east of bayview...Its in one of those big plazas with tons of restaurants...I believe it is called Saigon Star - be sure to try their baked oysters, and curry crab dishes.

[SushiCat]

Cool - glad to see some activity here ... keep it coming and I'll try to send reports back ... I'm not there but I can distill the data or get the eater to actually post!

thanks everyone

[Endy']

Endy!  I can't believe you are recommending Ambassador, ick!

←

hey sadistick, I know you ran into big problems when you were there, but I've had nothing but excellent food there, and I've never had any service problems either. I did specifically mention your (and others') objections so as to give SushiCat a balanced view. But I also recall I wasn't the only one speaking highly of them.

I know you weren't suggesting that I should take someone else's negative experience as overriding the very positive ones I've personally had

[jenc]

Saigon Star! I haven't been in a few years, but they had the BEST curry crab with that awesome french bread... *drool*

... must go back...

[sadistick]

Endy, nope

jenc - agreed, their curry crab is to die for, as is their roasted oysters, and grilled shrimp.

[SushiCat]

Endy!  I can't believe you are recommending Ambassador, ick!

←

hey sadistick, I know you ran into big problems when you were there, but I've had nothing but excellent food there, and I've never had any service problems either. I did specifically mention your (and others') objections so as to give SushiCat a balanced view. But I also recall I wasn't the only one speaking highly of them.

I know you weren't suggesting that I should take someone else's negative experience as overriding the very positive ones I've personally had

←

I got it. Ambassador has lots of recommendations and sometimes they have an off night ... maybe the night the chef is off. Things happen - take all info. with a grain of salt, sometimes a small grain, sometimes a larger one.

thx

[SYoung]

Agree on Saigon Star for Vietnamese. They're Chinese owned but wouldn't hold that against them.

Off the Asian theme, there is a pretty good Italian restaurant hidden away in a small strip plaza at 8133 Yonge Street (East side) just South of the 407 called Tutto Bene. To me, it's one of the best Italian restaurant in the area not known for Italian or fine dining.

My $.02 - there is an amazing thai/vietnameese place on highway 7 east of bayview...Its in one of those big plazas with tons of restaurants...I believe it is called Saigon Star - be sure to try their baked oysters, and curry crab dishes.

←

[the Bill]

thanks for all the info. I've been to asian legend; we went to backyard garden restaurant in the same plaza, and they do szechwan style (I prefer the level of spice compared to the style of say, magic wok)

tan tan noodles (interesting szechwan pepper flavour with floral notes)

spicy garlic fish (whole cooked garlic and chopped fish with skin and bones)

bok choy

at the magic wok we had mango chicken and dishes of a light (but very crispy) nature,

duck soup, etc. so the style is not comparable.

actually had a decent lamb shank at Brix with a side of "whipped" polenta; the menu/web page is not promising, but it was sub zero and close to the hotel so I caved, and despite the loud bar like atmosphere, was able to have a good meal.

following another thread elsewhere for XLB, I ventured into Toronto proper for mom's dumplings, and sampled pork&chive *and* chicken&mushroom dumplings, with an order of da lu noodles. those of you who have been there will realize that this is way too much food for a mere mortal, and I will be having the leftover da lu (mostly soup at this point) for lunch later!

[the Bill]

Agree on Saigon Star for Vietnamese.  They're Chinese owned but wouldn't hold that against them.   

Off the Asian theme, there is a pretty good Italian restaurant hidden away in a small strip plaza at 8133 Yonge Street (East side) just South of the 407 called Tutto Bene.  To me, it's one of the best Italian restaurant in the area not known for Italian or fine dining.

now I'm just having fun, because I've got all these choices, and having already sampled a few Asian restaurants, I decided to go for Italian based on this post, so I slipped into Tutto Bene ahead of a party of maybe 16 or so mostly women, and was warmly greeted by Mario, and made to feel at home. craving blood meat, I ordered the beef tenderloin with grilled portabello, followed by the chocolate mousse. a nice light meal... but friendly, like a neighbourhood favourite.