Keung's in Markham - The Salted Pork Bone Congee, a Must Get!

Keung's Restuarant
8390 Kennedy Rd, Unit C1& C3
(Peachtree plaza/New Kennedy Square)
Markham, ON L3R 0W4
905-940-0488

Hong Kong style cafes are very popular for a weekend breakfast and if you show up after 10, you'll be waiting in line...yes, lineups out the door for very popular places.  This happened to us a couple of weeks ago.  So, we ended up at Keung's Restaurant by default as they had just opened and I'm glad we did.  I haven't been to Keung's in a while, especially for dinner so I haven't seen their regular menu in a while.  They don't offer a breakfast menu so we only had the regular menu to look at and my partner decided on this special congee:  salted pork bone congee.  It was such a great pick, we all loved it!

What is salted pork bone congee?  It's a congee made from pork bones that have been salted and left to marinate for 8 hours before water, rice, and other ingredients are added.  The website explains here.

The congee was nicely salted because of the prep to the bones and I liked the combination of conpoy (dried scallop), mustard greens, and thousand year old egg.  The congee was seasoned with just the right amount of white pepper. 

Not sure if it was the unique bowl it comes in that caught their eye or others were in-the-know way before us, but the next few tables coming in all the got the same congee.  They mention there is limited daily supply so get there early!

Copper looking bowl with woven basket is a nice touch to highlight this special congee.

The fried dough fritters were also quite tasty but I could have just eaten the congee alone, it was that good!

 

I ordered a pork chop noodle soup dish which was okay; pork chop was fried well and there were quite a bit of noodles.  But, the congee stole the show - it really is a must get!

 

 

 

 

Purple Yam Mochi Recipe - The Filling

I've been doing  a bit of dessert making...if you call popsicles dessert.  And a bit of cooking, yes, just a bit. And from that bit of cooking, I had some left over purple yams and knew I wanted to make a dessert out of them.  I love the bright purple colour, especially if you can see a bit of the purple through the skin.  So, here it is, purple yam mochi - the filling.

Ingredients
2 small purple yams steamed and skinned (approx 250g)
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup water

Instructions
Strain the yam through a sieve or puree in a food processor.
Heat on medium heat and add the sugar and water and stir until steam comes out and paste starts to bubble.  At this point you can decide if you want the purple yam filling to be thicker or thinner by cooking longer or adding a bit more water.
(I preferred a thinner filling this time so I only heated another minute.)
Cool and refrigerate.

Using 2 spoons or a tbsp scoop, scoop yam and roll into balls.  (Can dust hands with corn starch or glutinous rice flour if needed.)  Freezer or refridgerate till hardened.


Now to make the mochi skin.  I actually tried out two new methods:

1.  Method outlined over at Lady and Pups for sticky rice balls or "tang yuan" resulted in mochi pictured at the top.  But instead of serving in a sweetened broth/soup/sugar water as the per Lady and Pups, I ladled them out onto a bed of cornstarch to coat and wrapped in cling wrap when cool.  The texture was not bad, but I had to add more glutinous rice flour than the recipe called for which was noted in the recipe.

2.  Method outlined in the cookbook The Food of Taiwan.  It involves baking it in the oven which I thought was a pretty good idea.  But unfortunately the water to glutinous rice ratio didn't quite work out for me causing me to make some adjustments.  Because of the adjustments, my finished 'dough' was a little harder to work with and thus the shape of the mochi was a bit uneven.  I retested the recipe with a different brand of rice flour and still found the ratio to be off so went with what I know and it turned out well after baking.  Still think the book is great so far, just need to try a few more recipes to really make a review.



Baking the glutinous rice flour mixture.

If you'd rather use the microwave, Chocolate and Zucchini has a good one which I've used often but requires you to wrap the mochi while the glutinous rice is hot/warm which can be tricky.

Emma's Country Kitchen - House Made Everything!

Breakwich with a side of fries

Emma's Country Kitchen

1108 St. Clair Ave West.

Toronto, ON L7E 1M6

416-652-3662

http://www.emmascountrykitchen.com/
 

We went for a late breakfast at Emma's Country Kitchen...on a weekday. (I had the day off...yay me...sometimes it's good to be off on a random day!)  I've wanted to try this place for a while now but Emma's Country Kitchen is in the west end near St. Clair and Dufferin where we usually find restaurants in this area a bit out of the way to get to.  But, we're glad to have finally made our way there as it was well worth it! 

On weekdays, their menu is pared down quite a bit, only offering a few breakfast items compared to their weekend brunch menu (e.g. homemade donuts, eggs benny, and a host of other items).  We still found something to order though and had a great breakfast.

Since we were there late, we had the mushroom soup to start, and it was pretty good; lots of mushrooms.  But, it wasn't a smooth soup if you're expecting that.  We liked the flavour nonetheless. My partner had the classic breakfast and I had the 'breakwich' which included cheese, an over easy egg, and sausage on buttermilk biscuit.  It was really good!  Larger than your breakfast sandwiches at Tim's and McD's and the biscuit was flakey and buttery, yums!  I also got a side of sea salted fries which turned out to be just okay for me. They are cut in-house but were skinny fries which I'm not too fond of since it's hard to maintain the crispiness on the outside while still having enough soft potato on the inside.  This is my personal preference though.

The classic breakfast (2 eggs, house cured bacon or sausage, griddled red potatoes, and toast) was done really well; the scrambled eggs consistency was great and the bacon was thickly sliced and nicely smoked.  The toast, honey whole wheat I believe was really good too.  You could taste the honey; afterwards I regretted not buying a loaf to take home!

 

Classic Breakfast (sorry for the poor picture quality!)

Everything was house-made: the bread was baked, the bacon was cured and smoked, the fries were cut.  I really liked this aspect and the food definitely shows the quality and skill they put into their items. Service was also friendly and attentive.

A great breakfast place, (but not ideal for big groups), I definitely would like to be back for their weekend brunch.  Too bad it's a little out of the way for us, otherwise I think we would've gone back in a few days!  

 

 



Cha Me Cha - Taiwanese Tea, Food and Desserts

Three Cup Chicken Meal

Cha Me Cha

8333 Kennedy Rd, Unit 1078 (The Mall at Langham Square)

Markham, ON L3R 4P8

T: 905-470-8836

http://www.chamecha.com/

Hours: 12pm - 12am (daily)

A couple of years ago Cha Me Cha opened in North York and I went to try out their teas.  They were okay but the space was just average.  I read reviews that the food was below average so never ventured back to try their food.  (Now the North York location is closed.)

Fast forward a couple of years and their Markham location is busy, busy, busy!  Why?  Because they seem to have the hit the right formula at this location.  Lunch and dinner specials, kids meals (3 different ones for $4.99) which is why there are always lots of kids during the meal hours it seems, a huge selection of drinks and affortable desserts.  I'm guessing during the later hours it would be a good hang-out.

We went for lunch and was pleasantly surprised by the portions.  Taiwanese tea places that serve food often give you small portions but these meals were decent in size.  The teas and food in general taste average, but I did find my meal to be pretty good.  My three cup chicken tasted traditionally made; flavoured with soy sauce, rice wine and basil.  It was also nice to see green veggies.  If you've ever had a Taiwanese lunch box, it usually consists of a main entrée (usually a meat) and 3 side dishes.  This meal follows suit in providing the 3 sides: a boiled egg, stir-fried leafy greens, and frozen veggie mix.  The frozen veggie mix wasn't too great as I think it was over boiled/steamed though.

Minced Pork & Sausage Meal

Crispy Chicken

The crispy chicken was crispy and salted exactly as it should be.  Loved the portion that they gave.  Didn't try the desserts as we were already full but they looked so good on the tables of others!  Size of the shaved ice desserts were huge, great for sharing with a group of friends.  I'll definitely be back for the desserts!

 

Service can be a little slow, especially during meal times.  We tried to go again for dinner but it was already packed and the servers were running around quite a bit.  So, if you do plan to go, go early! 

Exterior - across from T&T Supermarket

 

Zoku Character Popsicles - Cherry Yogurt Popsicles

So cute!!  I picked up two of these Zoku Character Ice Pop Molds at Williams Sonoma and finally put them to use last week (great during the hot weather we've been having!).  Princess Bella and Cadence the Kitty. 

It was pure luck that a piece of cherry landed right where Bella's top was, lol!

Look at the detail!  The mold is a silicone mold and you pull the pop out and the mold inverts as you pull.  I was really impressed that everything came out okay without needing to rinse the outside with water!  The popsicle is small, about 2 inches but perfect for my little one.

It's not much of a recipe but just in case you were wondering, here is what I used.  (You also might wonder why I used simple syrup too...I was reading in Smitten Kitchen's Berry Yogurt Popsicles comments that you need a bit more sugar for frozen treats).

Cherry & Yogurt Mini Popsicles
Make about 4

1/2 cup balkan style sweetened vanilla yogurt
1 tbsp simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar)
2 cherries chopped

Mix all ingredients together and pour into molds. 
Insert reusable stick and freeze for at least 6 hours.

Maman Toronto - Cute French Styled Cafe and Lunch Spot in the Financial District

Maman (Toronto)

100 King St. W Toronto, ON M5X 1B1

First Canadian Place, Upper Level Food Terrace

647-879-3642

http://mamantoronto.com/

Open: 7am- 6pm

 

Yes, it‘s true...there's a cute French-styled cafe and bakery located in the financial district!  Originally from New York City, they serve light lunches, baked goods and a selection of espresso based drinks and teas, I predict it‘s going to get very popular.  Located on the new upper level food terrace at First Canadian Place, this place stands out among the usual vendors in terms of decor and food choices.  Decor alone is worth the visit!



Communal tables inside

Soon serving cocktails!

Now that they've got you in the door, their baked goods also are pretty decent.  Actually, their lavender loaf cake is really good! 

Food Menu (Unfortunately didn't get a shot of the drinks menu)

They have some croissants, tarts, and a few other sweet treats on offer as well, but their loaf cakes really stood out.  Two were on offer when I went, a pistachio and the lavender.  I'd usually opt for pistachio but thought I'd try something different.  The cake was very moist and was just the right amount of sweetness and my first impression was that it was pretty good but I luckily saved half for later (it's quite filling) and when I ate the second half, I realized it was more than pretty good, it was really good!  Why, you ask?

 

Pistachio cake



Because, as always, I'm a sucker for matcha-anything and they had an iced matcha tea on their beverage menu so although I was going to get a basic tea (they carry Sloane Teas), I changed my mind at the last minute and got the iced matcha.  The matcha was okay but I think the matcha flavour overpowered the lavender. When I had the cake later, the lavender flavour was more apparent and it wasn't excessive.  The cake was also still quite moist hours later. 

The iced matcha as I mentioned was okay, but I'm not sure if I would get again.  Their lemon thyme madeleine was quite good as well and would be a nice mini treat if you weren't looking for something too heavy.

Iced Matcha Tea

The only thing that I would recommend is the drinks menu should be visible from the front door as well.  The menu is actually at the front of the line so as you're moving through the line and picking up your food items, you can't see the drinks menu until you get to the front where payment happens.  So then, you end up holding up the line if you haven't quite decided on what you'd like.  They have two staff up front so that helps, it just a small thing but it'd be nice to see what is available for beverages earlier.

 

I think the next time I'll try their salads and quiches; that would really tell you if it'll survive as a lunch spot.  Overall, a great place and there is nice seating outside as well!

 

Outdoor patio

 

Mean Bao - a tasty snack

Mean Bao
Village by the Grange 275 Dundas Street W, #19
Toronto, ON M5T 3K1
(416) 850-5616
http://www.meanbaotoronto.com/

I went to Mean Bao (a cute take on the pronounciation of the word bread in Cantonese) recently for a quick lunch.  Open for about 2 years now, the brand has expanded and will be opening a third location in Toronto's Queen East area (according to one of the founders who happen to be there that afternoon).

Mean Bao serves up Taiwanese inspired steamed buns filled with savory pork belly (known as  割包 "gua bao" in Taiwan) and several other buns with differing meat options.  In the last few years Toronto has seen this item appear on the menus of a number of restaurants and has become quite popular, especially after David Chang of Momofuku Noodle Bar first introduced his Steamed Pork Bun version in New York a decade ago (read here).  Note, Chang's version is not authentic tasting Taiwanese gua bao but it did make a mark and made people take notice.

Anyway, back to Mean Bao.  They also serve other items such as dumplings and quinoa lunch boxes but the pork belly baos are probably the most popular; and after tasting, I can see why!  I tried the pork belly and the braised beef bao (both were $3.95).  The pork belly was very tender. The layer of fat held it's shape and was uber soft.  I'm not one to eat a lot of fat but have grown to enjoy this fatty treat.  The flavour of the braised pork belly was very nice with the five spice seasoning and star anise.  I only wish the piece of pork was just a tad bigger for the price!  Topped with pickled veggies it was well paired.

Pork belly bao

The braised beef bao was okay, the flavour didn't leave much of an impression, but I think it was also a little too lean for my taste.  A little bit of fat would improve the flavour and texture but I can also see others loving the lean meat.  Maybe offering lean or fatty options would allow for more appeal.

The bun itself was so light and pillow soft, it tasted like it was made fresh - loved it.

It definitely brings me back to Taiwan where I had these wonderful little buns from street vendors.  I remember one little shop in one of the back alleys of Shida night market.  It was just a open window of a door and they offered these steamed buns filled with pork belly, lean pork, fried pork cutlet or fried chicken.  Topped with cilantro and peanuts, it was soooo tasty.  This pork belly bao reminds me of that shop except when I ate one in Taiwan, that was enough for a meal.  Maybe my appetite is bigger now, lol!

Koi Sakana Ramen

Koi Sakana Ramen 井上拉麵屋
360 Hwy 7 E.
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Y7
T: 905-882-8802
https://www.facebook.com/Koisakanaramen

Uptown ramen!!  A good bowl of noodles when you‘ve got a craving and just can't head downtown. 

I‘ve actually been eating quite a bit of ramen these days but I love eating ramen!  More specifically tonkontsu ramen with chewy noodles and this place does a very good job.  Broth was flavourful and slightly creamy, the meat was slightly seared and tender, and the noodles had a chewy bite.  The bowls might be slightly smaller than other places but I was satisfied.  The service was also outstanding.  We didn't have to ask for extra water or napkins, the waitress was there before we even knew we needed it!

They have a few other items on their menu but we were there for the ramen so didn't try anything else.  More items can be viewed on their FB page.
 

The space is small but there are a few booths and some tables that could be for individual diners or pushed together for larger groups.  Will definitely be back.  I love when I find a place that I know I'll revisit and it's not just a, 'yes...I've been there' type situation.

They have a house special tonkotsu ramen which has less salt than the original. 

 

 

Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That? - Meiji Strawberry (Hershey-Kiss-Shaped) Chocolates

I've decided to start a new series on my blog called Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That?

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been debating about whether to start this series.  As a kid, we always got Asian type snack foods as a treat.  Pocky, dried mango, and dried cuttlefish were the most frequent (yes, dried seafood was better than chips to me, lol!).  My sisters and I loved getting these treats, and they were treats to be shared so we always just got a bit.  Enough to enjoy but never enough to get bored of it and frequent enough that we didn't crave it and go overboard the next time.  But now, I don't eat too many snacks these days.  For whatever reason, snacks usually reach the expiry date before I get to them.  So, I didn't want to start something I wasn't going to update regularly. 

But sometimes, just sometimes, I'll see a package and want to try it.  I'm usually quite fascinated by products from Japan or Taiwan.  But, usually they're very expensive for the portion size (definitely good for portion control though!).  And usually I wonder what it'll taste like but often not buy.  In comes the Meiji brand with a strawberry chocolate snack that I found hard to resist (my eyes light up when I see strawberry chocolates, unless it's ultra sweet strawberry syrup filled chocolates which I don't particularly enjoy). So, to indulge my curiosity and inner child, I purchased this pretty little pink box, and so begins this series...

the back panel

Individually wrapped, cute packaging and there is a symbol for recycling (I think), but it's in Japanese.

Now for the most important part, how it tastes.  Yummy :)  The strawberry filling is like strawberry mousse but dehydrated (if you can imagine that), not sticky or chalky though.  The strawberry flavour is present and mild and seems natural which is nice.  Shaped like a Hershey Kiss, it's coated with a thin layer of chocolate and cocoa powder and the bottom is a chocolate cookie. 

It's not as sweet as North American chocolates/candies, so if you're expecting that, you'll be disappointed.  I'm not floored by this candy but it's still a cute treat, quite light, and definitely good if you like strawberry flavoured sweets.

Luckily in Toronto, there are a number of places to buy treats from Japan and Taiwan.  This box was purchased at T&T Supermarket for $5.49 (for a 49g box), it's a little steep, but I guess it's like getting a bubble tea, a sweet treat.  Well, there goes my bubble tea for the week!

Sometimes we are in need of a little treat and need to turn to something boxed, bagged, or wrapped.  
Snack Foods: Hmmm, What's That? will be my space for highlighting snack foods from Japan and Taiwan or snacks new on the Toronto marketplace. 

Old Bleu Cafe Eatery - Boxed Lunch



Medium Lunch Box

 Old Bleu Cafe Eatery
73 Queen St. E. (just west of Church St.)
Toronto, ON M5C 1R8

I love coming across little cafes or eateries that are about good basic eats with a vibe like you're at a quaint little town.  Old Bleu is one of those cafes.  It's a cute little cafe offering sandwiches and boxed lunches that tastes homecooked good and won‘t break the bank - a hidden gem!  Well, I haven't tried their sandwiches, but last week I had their jerk pork lunch special.  There is a small, medium and large box ranging from around $5 - $8 - $10 after taxes.  You can customize you lunch with the different sides on offer, choosing a little of each or just a lot of one; basically enough to fill the box.
 

The jerk pork was tender, had good flavour with a little bit of a kick.  Not too salty like many other places I've had jerk at which is a definite plus!  The sides were basic, the spring salad was tossed with a basic oil and vinegar dressing, and the rice was light and fluffy.
 

Service was also very friendly.  Seating is limited though, a few seats looking out the large front window.  Definitely a great place to pick up lunch and a tip from the owner, every day the lunch is different except Tuesdays and Fridays which are the same.

They also offer coffee and tea and a few pastries.

Seats facing the large storefront window.

 

Tao Tea Leaf Spring Tea Tasting & Purple Bud Puer

Bai Mu Dan White Tea Leaves

In June, Tao Tea Leaf hosted 3 tea tastings showcasing his new Spring teas.  It was definitely an event where you‘ll get your fill of good quality tea!  We sampled 12 different teas, yes twelve, ranging from white to green to yellow to oolong to black and puer in 2 hours.  Several teas were quite popular, including a rare Silver Needle white tea that is grown at over 1000m above sea level and a purple bud puer picked from ancient tea trees.  The Silver Needle white tea that had lots of people ooohing and ahhhing over was definitely a nice and smooth tea, refined and sweet.

Silver Needle

The set up

Everything was set up very well with each tea label and a sample of the dry tea leaves were on display.

Huang Shan Mao Feng - a green tea from yellow mountain in China

Golden Needle Black Tea

Wild Purple Bud Puer

These wild purple buds are very different looking and I was very intrigued.  The taste is also unlike the earthy puer tea that I‘m accustomed to drinking.  The aroma has a hint of earthiness but when you taste it, it‘s quite mild and light with maybe notes of apricots.  There is a slight earthiness to the taste but very subtle and if you let it steep longer than expected, it doesn‘t become too strong which is great. 

Tao notes that these buds are from ancient tea trees that require climbing to pick.  As well, these trees are located on mountainous terrain.  

It seems there‘s always a new tea to discover!  As one of my new favorite bloggers has posted, 學無止境, there is always something new to learn.

Wild Purple Bud Tea

At home, infused wild purple bud puer tea buds

Snacks while sampling the tea, I believe they were purple yam cookies and pumpkin seed cookies.

One side of the wall, Tao carries quite a selection of teas.

Exterior of the shop (they were undergoing renovations inside)

I also picked up a green tea called An Ji Bai Cha.  It‘s name includes the characters "white tea" but that is because the tea leaves are whitish in colour before harvest and not a reference to the type of tea.  I'll likely be doing a separate post on that as it's also one I've never come across before and need to learn more.

Definitely check out Tao Tea Leaf if you want to pick up some good quality tea.  They specialize in Chinese teas but do offer other teas, blends, and tissanes.  Tao is also great at allowing you to sample a tea in the store and they are happy to answer any questions.

Tao Tea Leaf

934 Yonge St., Toronto ON, M4W 2J2

www.taotealeaf.com