BB Cafe - Pomegranate Cake and Persian tea

BB Cafe is a Persian cafe offering Persian desserts and teas as well as light lunch options like salads, crepes, and stuffed waffles.  It definitely has that 'home-y' kind of feel to it.  With two locations, both along Yonge St., the original in North York and their second in Richmond Hill, this place has been on my radar for quite some time and finally I decided to check them out...in February (yes, it's long overdue!).  Updating this blog hasn't really been a priority but I thought this place deserved a mention.

We checked out the Richmond Hill cafe and grabbed a table on the second floor, pretty nice.

I ordered the traditional Persian black tea and a slice of pomegranate cake.  The tea was nicely presented and was a light black tea, similar tasting to a Ceylon (Sri Lankan) tea.  You drop a sugar cube into your cup and it slowly dissolves providing a nice level of sweetness, even as you pour more tea into your cup.  The pomegranate cake was a huge slice!  The flavours were mild but you could taste the tart taste of pomegranate and there were pomegranate seeds within the cake.  The glaze on top of the cake was a little too thick though.

My partner had an iced tea and house-made pistachio ice cream.

Just a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.  I think I would come back to try their crepes or stuffed waffles if I was in the area again. 如果我們再來這區, 我會試試他們的可麗餅或鬆餅(窩夫).

Main floor seating

Upper level seating

BB Cafe 

10067 Yonge Street
Richmond Hill, ON L4C 1T9

905-237-6565
http://bbcafe.ca/

Why the occasional duplicate sentence written in Chinese?  

One of my goals starting in 2016 is to improve my Chinese language skills so this is one way I'm going about it.  
Please comment if you noticed I've totally messed up!  Thanks!

Richmond Court Restaurant

Richmond Court is an old standby Cantonese restaurant for me.  They serve HK Style Cafe meals, all day dim sum, and family style Chinese dishes which include a selection of seafood.  For night owls, this place is also open late!
 

I like this place because it's quite large so getting a seat is not too difficult, the food is decent, and the price is on par with the portion and taste.  The servers are also quite friendly.  The restaurant includes a bbq meats section and bakery so it really does offer something for everyone.  Only thing that was a little bit of a sad face on our last visit - lots of ice in the iced tea we got.
 

Wonton noodles and almond milk

On a separate visit... 

Black Pepper Beef

Soy sauce chicken (half portion)

 We ordered veggies as well that was part of a set meal and it comes with soup.  Sometimes all you want is some standard Cantonese dishes that are fast and affortable.

 

 

Richmond Court Restaurant

http://www.richmondcourtrestaurant.com/contactmap.html

550 Hwy 7 East Building A Unit 7-8, 28-30

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

T: 905-709-1628 

Hours: Sun - Thurs 8am -2:30am, Fri-Sat open till 3am. 

 

Mama Bear Taiwanese Cuisine - Tastes and Smells of Taiwan

Salty Crispy Chicken aka Popcorn Chicken

I finally got to try Mama Bear Taiwanese Cuisine about a week ago.  Mama Bear first became popular through their sticky tofu sold at the night market festivals that happen every summer and over a year ago they opened this restaurant. It's been on my list of places to-go for ages, but has always been packed.   I think part of me had high expectations that I was also scared to be disappointed if I went.  But, we went for lunch one weekday and I wasn't disappointed.

We ordered quite a bit to my surprise.

I have to say, most items were decent.  They weren't amazing, but you can definitely get a taste of Taiwan here. 

The beef noodle (non-spicy) for the large was a big bowl and it was good.  It's not my favourite in the city, but still very good and I'd get this again. 



The "popcorn" chicken was probably the best item we tried and portion was in line with the price.  Oyster omelette was yummy and instead of lettuce that is common at night markets they used tung ho/tong ho (茼蒿) vegetables (also known as Garland Chrysanthemum which I had to look up).  Apparently some places in Taiwan use it to make oyster omelette and I think it was a really nice addition.  However, I think I would love more egg and less tapioca starch in the omelette. 

Oyster omelette

The minced pork on rice was good, could be fattier in my opinion but it did contain pork belly and wasn't dry like other places.



The "shui jian bao" or pan fried buns were freshly made and tasted pretty good as well, but I'm still debating on whether the price is worth it with this dish.





Space is actually larger than I expected and there were quite a number of booths and tables. Didn't seem cramped which is nice.  Service was good, no complaints.

 

 

If you're looking for some good Taiwanese food, this definitely is a good option.  They also had set meals where there is a main item and 3 side dishes which I think would be a great option, but we wanted to try a number of different things.  Desserts like shaved ice and some traditional drinks like Aiyu in lemon juice are available and round out the experience; we just didn't have space for these extras.  Oh, also important to note, as we were leaving, the smell of sticky tofu started to permeate the air so you are now warned that you may experience this if there are orders for sticky tofu!

 

 

Mama Bear Taiwanese Cuisine

 324 Hwy 7 E #7

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1A6

T: (905) 597-7770

https://www.facebook.com/mamabearrichmondhill

High chair and baby changing table available.

 

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. 

 

 

Fuji Mountain Bakery - A milk tea bun!!

The Chinese name for the milk tea taste bun is "Pearl Milk Tea Bun" referring to Taiwanese bubble tea.

Fuji Mountain Bakery
350 Highway 7,Unit 110
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3N2
T: 905-882-8281

Just one taste and I knew I was hooked and would be back!

I‘m referring to their milk tea bun.  We were at My Wonderful Kitchen for an early dinner so upon leaving we decided to check out the bakery next door.  I'm so glad we did! 

 

Fuji has actually been around for a number of years, it was just never 'on the way' or convenient for me whenever I needed to pick up any type of Asian buns. They didn't have too much selection since it was at the end of the day, but there were some interesting items still available.  The milk tea bun caught my eye and I knew I had to try it.  (I've recently noticed a lot of milk tea cakes, breads, and other dessert creations poping up on the internet).

 



At home, L: Milk tea bun, R: Pumpkin bun

The filling definitely tastes like milk tea, very intense for the amount.  The tea flavour shines through and it‘s balanced by the right level of sweetness.  The milk tea taste is unlike a typical HK milk tea and is closer to a Taiwan style milk tea (as their Chinese name would imply), but it would be well received by lovers of both (unless you take your milk teas with very little sugar).  The bread part of the bun is something like a briocche dough but with much less butter it seems.  Quite airy and sweet but I would say a little on the dry side.  The dough was a little chewy (or some may say has a bit of a "qq" quality) to it's texture.  I liked the bread in general but I can see others preferring a softer or denser texture.

Next time I'm going to order a milk tea as well because if the milk tea filling is this good, the actual drink itself should be better! 
 



Milk tea bun (sorry for the poor lighting!)

I also tried the pumpkin bun and liked it too but I think the filling was a little too sweet for me.  It definitely had a strong pumpkin taste though which is great, but it's second to the milk tea bun.  The pumpkin seeds at the top were quite flavourful too, likely because they were in the oven and had been roasted a bit.

Pumpkin bun

Exterior

I definitely would like to try some of their other buns as it seems they do a number of Japanese inspired buns (I noticed wasabi on one).  Hmmm, I've been eating a lot of Japanese inspired foods lately or at least seeking them out...I went to Uncle Tetsu's Matcha Cafe a couple of days ago to try their matcha smoothie but unfortunately they weren't serving that item that day - fail!

Anyway, I think every so often I've got to make a special trip to Fuji Mountain Bakery...

Hong Far Cafe vs Dickens Cafe at Richlane

Dickens Cafe: Chicken steak lunch special (very tender)

Hong Far Hong Kong Cafe
Phone: (905)-770-9236

Dickens Cafe
Phone: (905) 237-4726   

Located at Richlane Mall
9425 Leslie St, Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3N7

I've been eating at a lot of HK Style Cafes recently, two of the most recent ones (they've been around for awhile though) were located in the same mall or building; Richlane Mall at Hwy 16 and Leslie.  One was called Hong Far and the other Dickens.  They are definitely 2 different styles of HK Cafes so I can see both doing well and given their number of years of operation, I think they have a loyal customer base.

Dickens is your upscale HK cafe that serves some typical cafe dishes like baked rice but also has steak dishes with sets that include garlic bread and a soup.  Hong Far is the more Chinese fast food/noodle and rice bowl cafe type establishment.

I actually like both places as each establishment has their own character and really depends on your mood.

Dickens is noticeably more pricey but the dishes are presented in a nicer fashion and it did taste a little better than other cafes.  I ordered a baked fish dish (a standard for me) and it was covered with a spinach mushroom sauce which was quite good.  You often don't get mushrooms in these places so i was surprised.

Dickens Cafe: Baked fish on rice with spinach and mushroom cream sauce (afternoon tea special)

The unfortunate part is the service near the end was lacking.  In this western style HK cafe, they serve the accompanying coffee/tea drink after the meal, very much like an English establishment would do.  They don't tell you this.  We waited for someone to ask us what we'd like but no one did and then it took a while to get someone's attention to put in our drink order.  It's also pricier to upgrade your drink to cold here.

Hong Far is definitely friendlier and the one reason I'd give it an extra star is because they offer a little bit of veggies with their dishes.  I ordered a fried pork chop with fried fish skin udon noodle soup.  Most other similar HK restaurants will serve you a bowl of noodles, without any greens except for a few bits of green onion, if that.  But here, I have a small amount which was really appreciated.  The pork chop was also tender and the amount of noodles was decent.

Hong Far Cafe: Pork chop with fried fish skin udon noodle

 

Hong Far Cafe: Hainan Chicken Rice (rice is actually fried rice)

Hong Far Cafe: Left- Hot milk tea, Right- Iced lemon tea (extra charge for iced drinks)

The beverages were okay.  If you get a hot beverage it comes in the classic HK cafe cup and saucer that you see often, definitely cute if you're into nostalgic tableware.

 

I'd definitely go back to both.  

Ten Ren's Tea Time Meals

Osmanthus Steamed Fish

In the past couple of months, I was at Ten Ren's Tea Time (Times Ave. location) multiple times for birthdays and gatherings.  Simply because it's spacious, accommodates families and young children (a.k.a. has high chairs and a baby changing station), and we could leisurely enjoy our meal and drinks.  And, I suppose it's because my friends and I also like bubble tea.

Although I posted about Ten Ren's before and how sometimes they might be considered "pricey" for the food, I was thoroughly impressed by the above dish so I knew I had to post about it.  It's a steamed fish dish that I ordered as part of the rice combo (but is available separately). 

Why?

Well, it just seemed so healthy and flavourful!  The fish fillet was thick (possibly basa) and to my surprise, tofu was layered underneath.  The tofu actually soaked up the juices and provided an extra element of texture and taste.  Besides the surprise tofu, the capers (or at least I think they were capers) added a nice briny taste to the fish without being overpowering.  It really elevated the sweetness of the fish and the saltiness of the seasoning in the dish.  I think this might be a dish I'll order regularly, I definitely recommend!

Layer of tofu at the bottom and the round olive coloured balls were what I think were capers.

And, a quick note on the drinks.  As I've mentioned before, the tea drinks here are stellar.  Here is a apple high mountain oolong drink, upsized to large.  Besides the taste, I wanted to highlight the amount of froth that is generated and noticeable at the top of the drink.  This is one of the few places that shakes the tea drink enough to produce such a volume of froth.  Heavily shaking the drink is supposed to aerate the drink to allow the flavours to mellow and combine, kinda like a cocktail that uses fruit juices.

Here are some pics of other items I had:

Salt and pepper crispy chicken, surprisingly they changed the batter which I wasn't as fond of... :(

Chicken cutlet noodle

I only can comment on the food at the Times Ave. location but have been meaning to try the new renovated Empress Walk location...definitely wonder how the quality stacks up.  But, sadly the steamed fish does not look like it's available at Empress Walk.

 

Best Dumplings (and Maybe Xiao Long Baos) in Toronto!

Northern Dumpling Kitchen
550 Hwy 7 E. Unit 52A (Times Square)
Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4
T:  905-881-3818

Xiao Long Bao (XLB)

This has been my favourite dumpling restaurant in Toronto (well, actually in the GTA) for a number of years. And I have to say, they serve the best northern style steamed dumplings in Toronto!  I went a few times before the new year and realized I've never blogged about this place.

Xiao Long Baos (XLB) or soup filled dumplings are very popular, mainly because of the popularity of Din Tai Fung, an international restaurant originating from Taiwan.  Ding Tai Fung (DTF) a restaurant in Toronto (not an official location of Din Tai Fung) was where I had my first taste of xiao long baos and I remember it was soooo good and loved it!  But, when I started going to Northern Dumpling Kitchen I was even more enthralled.  Their XLBs were better in flavour and the skin was super thin too.  But, DTF on some occasions have packed in more soup.  Although I still love eating XLBs, Northern Dumpling Kitchen's dill (restaurant labels it as fennel) and pork steamed dumplings have become my new favourite.  The dill just adds a nice flavour to the dumplings and each one also is juicy with a bit of "soup".  The skin is also very thin.  Best of all, the price is awesome for a basket of ten!!

Inside the XLB

Pork and dill (fennel on the menu) steamed dumplings

Inside the pork and dill dumpling

No where else can you find the quality at such a reasonable price!

Other dishes that I've had include their beef and onion roll, dan dan noodles, cumin lamb skewers, gong bo chicken, a variety of vegetable dishes, and a number of other noodle dishes.  All were okay in both taste and price.  One note, if you're familiar with dan dan noodles from DTF, this version is different.  Northern makes it with a little more chili and very little sesame paste.

I definitely recommend!!

Interior:  There are booths along the window and only 2 round tables for groups of 6-8. 

Review: Ocean's Seafood Restaurant

HK Style Cafe by day, family style restaurant by night.

Ocean's is a fairly inexpensive breakfast and lunch place for those looking for HK cafe style foods.  I've been at various times of the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner).  Walking in, it reminds us of Pheonix Restaurant but there are features such as the chandeliers that give it a family dinner restaurant feel.

1st Impression:  Value meals
Several Impressions Later:  Value meals for any time of day

When talking about taste, food is okay, nothing out of this world.  But prices are great for what you get.  The first time I went was for lunch and had a baked rice dish.

Baked chicken rice dish

They offer a few lunch and afternoon specials that are under $7 like the baked rice above.  Comes with milk tea or coffee.  It was a little on the salty side but okay for the price and portions were good.  Breakfast is also very inexpensive but I would say the noodles are better than the egg-type breakfasts since you can always make eggs at home.  Note, when they say sausage on their menu they actually mean hot dog weiner...so not so good!

Simple dinner items are $7-8 and were also acceptable in taste.  As you can tell, presentation is not their forte but you can't really complain when prices and taste are good.  Surprisingly, the Peking sauce pork chops was really good.  Meat was tender (didn't need a knife), slightly crispy, and the sauce was not overly sweet and just coated the meat.

Spinach and enoki mushroom

Egg and beef on rice noodles

Peking (Beijing) sauce pork chops

I also went to try their special dinner deals.  Value is definitely there but taste-wise it's just okay again.  But, I was really impressed with our friendly server.  I messed up on the number of people we had so we had to add extra seats and they made it work the best they could.  The server was always polite and she tried to make sure we had everything.  Unfortunately, I have no pictures!  Maybe another time...

Anyway, this place is definitely a good place for lunch or dinner when you want something quick, good, and inexpensive.

"Pear" Dim Sum @ Premiere Ballroom and Convention Centre

This was my second time visiting Premiere Ballroom and Convention Centre for dim sum but this time was with a larger group so we got to try many more dishes.  I was definitely impressed by several dishes this time around but unfortunately did not take pictures!!  Except for one cute, cute one on my plate.  It's very hard to take pictures of food in large groups at dim sum as one, people are hungry, and two, you may be in a conversation when the dish comes that you miss the opportunity to yell "Wait!!  I gotta take a picture!".

So...here is the cutest dim sum dish yesterday ^-^

(鹹水角 variation, picture taken with my phone)

Their version of 鹹水角 or fried mixed pastry with pork or fried crescent dumpling (didn't remember the name on the menu); shaped like a pear!  It was the cutest dim sum of the day and tasted good too.  The pork filling was well seasoned and the glutinous rice dough was slightly sweet.  Fried lightly but not greasy.  The amount of filling is less than in the traditionally shape it seems, but there are 4 per order vs 3 at other places.  I think I enjoyed this the most because it was visually appealing, it probably took a little more time to shape, and tasted pretty good; salty, slightly sweet, crispy, and chewy at the same time.  If you're wondering what the stem is, it's a small carrot piece...cute idea!

Other dishes that got a thumbs up were:  siu mai (steamed pork dumplings), fried tofu which was delicately fried and seasoned (so not greasy), beef tendon, shrimp rice roll, and honey beef ribs (but may be a bit on the sweet side for some).  

There were quite a bit of dim sum dishes that were unique or they made a variation to the standard which makes for an interesting experience.  My first time having dim sum here, I thought it was okay, overall good but it seems like this most recent time it was better.  Maybe it was the variety?  Or maybe we ate after 11am, paying full price opposed to before 11am where S/M/L are $3 each and quality differs?  I really don't know but, we do want to go back and hopefully I'll be able to take more pictures!