Birthday Bun 壽包 (clay miniature)

Happy belated birthday 嫲嫲。

I made birthday bun for my grandma's birthday (which was February 24).
I had it done on the 9th, but I didn't post these pictures up because she still haven't got the birthday bun yet and I don't want her to see the pictures - I want to give her a surprise. My Aunt is going to Hong Kong on the 28th so I asked her to bring it to Hong Kong and she should be in Hong Kong & gave it to 嫲嫲 by now.

I made 8 birthday buns (7 small ones & 1 big one). I put them in a "dim sum container" 點心籠.
Took me a few hours to make, dry and then paint them. Wasn't really satisfied with the look of the birthday buns but oh well..最緊要係心意啦...will try again next time =/

Grace

Sano Sushi 佐野 review (4th visit)

Sano Sushi 佐野 (all you can eat)

Location: 8143 Yonge Street, Thornhill
Phone: (905) 771 9861
Price: (lunch) $12.95 // (dinner) $20.95 (15% off if you pay by cash -> so $20.12 (TAX INCLUDED), don't know when the offer is going to end though, call before you go)
More info: www.sanosushi.com
First visit: http://grace510.blogspot.com/2012/01/sano-sushi-review.html
Second visit: http://grace510.blogspot.com/2012/02/sano-sushi-review-2nd-visit.html
Third visit: I didn't take any pictures / write any post..
Menu:
This is my 4th time visiting Sano Sushi. I'm glad their quality of the service & food are still good! (I have been to OTHER Japanese ayce places that their quality is decreasing and then I have to find another GOOD Japanese ayce..)
Spicy salmon sushi, Sano sushi, Flying fish roe sushi..
- they are bite size! *THUMBS UP* (I told them last time, there were too many rice inside the sushi, and the sushi is too big that when I bite it into half, the flying fish roe, the spicy salmon, the toppings just fell all over my plate --- THEN this time I came, they change their ways of making sushi, they improved! The sushi has less rice, it's bite size.. it's AWESOME!) -- 飯少了, 但料就一樣落足比你! *鼓掌*

Red tuna roll
- you can see from the picture, there is a BIG CHUNK of red tuna!!! YUMMY! =D

Dynamite roll - shrimp tempura, cucumber, avocado, flying fish roll.
- SO YUMMY! MUST TRY =D
- The shrimp tempura is FRESHLY FRIED, it's still hot! =)
- the avocado melts in your mouth, so good!!

Spider roll - basically it's like dynamite roll, except it's crab tempura, not shrimp tempura
- the crab is still hot & crispy when it comes! =D
- SO GOOD! yumm yumm =P

DESSERTs (I'm not a sweet-tooth - never really like to eat desserts BUT I LOVE the desserts at Sano Sushi, they are so good *w*, Mango Yogurt is my favourite!):
(left) Strawberry mousse; (middle) Chocolate mousse; (right) Mango pudding

(left) Mango yogurt; (middle) Coffee jelly; (right) Strawberry yogurt
- Mango yogurt is the best. it's not the yogurt we usually have, it's kinda solid form like Tofu fa! SOOOOOOO GOOD! MUST TRY =D (I had 3 mango yogurt tonight haha!)

Environment:
- nice & spacious
- cushioned & comfortable seats

Service:
- Again! Wonderful service
- servers are really friendly & attentive!
- patiently explain the dishes to you even when they are busy
- accept customers' comments and willing to make changes

Food:
- the sushi are bite size and there aren't a lot of rice! LOVE IT!!!
- they put less rice in the sushi now =) (I appreciate that they are willing to make changes after listening to your comments!)
- AGAIN, LOVE their desserts (mango yogurt, strawberry yogurt, mango pudding, coffee jelly, strawberry mousse, chocolate mousse) MANGO YOGURT is the best! =)

Grace

Hipot Hot Pot Restaurant 稻香 review

Hipot Hot Pot Restaurant 稻香

Location: 350 Hwy 7 E, Richmond Hill (right next to Saigon Star 西貢星 & HSBC)
Phone: (905) 709 1188
Price: Weekdays (Mondays - Thursdays) $17.95 // Weekends (Fridays - Sundays) & Holidays $19.95
(including 1 glass of suan mei tang (sour prune drink) 酸梅湯 +AND+ 1 dessert - tortoise jelly 龜苓膏 // egg pudding 燉蛋 // mango pudding 芒果布甸)
Menu:
Friends suggested to come to this HIPOT. I have been to this HIPOT for a few times. It's Ok..
The beef slice "所謂的肥牛但一點都唔肥" - not fatty enough..

Environment:
- I HATE finding a parking spot there. The parking lot is so small and always packed. (that is one of my reason that I don't like to come here!)
- The restaurant is pretty spacious, NOT as tight as the other hot pot places which they put tables side by side, so close & feel so tight.

Food:
- it's so-so.. =/
- the beef slice 牛肉片 are not fatty enough.. 好老好瘦.. =(
- I LOVE the lamb slice 羊肉片 & lamb balls 羊肉丸! Must try! =)
- they have quite a large selection. not bad.

Service:
- missed our orders A LOT OF TIMES (we ordered the lamb balls 羊肉丸 at least 4 times with 4 different people and the balls never came, and the other orders too.. keep missing our orders..)

Grace

St. Louis (Hwy 7 & Warden Avenue) review

St. Louis

Location: 3621 Highway 7 East, Markham (Hwy 7 & Warden Avenue)
Phone: (905) 604 7788
Hours: Mon - Thurs 11AM - 1AM, Fri - Sat 11AM - 2AM, Sun 11AM - midnight
More info: www.stlouiswings.com

I usually go to the St. Louis at 10620 Yonge Street (South of Elgin Mills). But today I decided to try the one at Markham.. which turns out it's a bad idea..

They have different deals everyday. Today is Tuesday - Half price for the wings (including french fries) if you purchase a large beverage..

Honey Garlic wings $5.5 (1 lb = around 7-9 wings) with beverage $2.99 (TOTAL $8.49)
- I'm very disappointed. The wings are not sauced enough.
- The last few wings are even DRY DRY DRY & hard..
- The fries are SO GOOD! (but I still think the one at Yonge is better..)
- The garlic dill sauce (for the fries) is SOOOOO GOOD! LOVE IT!

Hot Sweet Asian wings $5.5 (1 lb = around 7-9 wings) with beverage $2.99 (TOTAL $8.49)
- it's not bad..
- it's not spicy (good for people that cannot take the spice)


Even though the wings are not as good as the St. Louis at Yonge. I appreciate their good service and follow up.
** I told the General Manager - Jessica about my wings that they are so dry and not sauced.. She offer me a replace that she will get the kitchen to make a new bowl for me. I didn't take the offer, I told her I just wanted to let her know that's it.. She said sorry and stuff... After that, when we pay the bill, she came up to us again and apologize once again, and gave us this coupon - a FREE meal, a regular size wing dinner served with golden brown french fries and special dipping sauce. I'm so pleased with their service.


Overall,

Environment:
- Pretty spacious and comfortable atmosphere

Food:
- well... not as good as the St Louis @ Yonge Street
- the wings are kinda dry
- MUST TRY the french fries!!! (WITH THE GARLIC DILL SAUCE!!!)

Service:
- EXCELLENT service!
- servers are friendly and attentive
- appreciate the manager's attention and follow up
- I like how they take and thank for your opinion

To be honest, I wasn't going to visit this St. Louis again. However, because of the great service, I guess I will give it a second chance and go try again next time to see if they have any improvement.

Grace

ME-VA-ME review

ME-VA-ME (Middle Eastern food)

Location: Rutherford Market Place, 9302 Bathurst Street (Bathurst Street & Rutherford Road)
Phone: (905) 771-7377

I have tried the ME-VA-ME at Bathurst Street & Steeles Avenue long long time ago, maybe last year.. And I LOVE the food there. && I found out there's a new ME-VA-ME, which is the one I went tonight.

I went there at 5:45PM today. It was already packed!! The place is full of people & there are SOO MANY SO MANY people waiting for a table. I went up to the reception and asked how long do I have to wait. LUCKILY, those people were all waiting for tables for at least 4 and we got only 2 people so we got a table right away! During the time I was there, there was constantly people coming in and waiting for a table..

We sat down and the server gave us water and two free starter - pickle & "pita"
The free starter - pickle

The other free starter - the pita (right), then we ordered the dipping - Humus & Tahini (left)

Humus & Tahini dipping $6.99 - to dip with the pita

We were going to order the chicken shawarma but the server said it's sold out! Oh well, we will try it next time.
So we order the 2 chicken dark skewer and 2 lamb skewer (they both served with salad)..
Cesar salad (comes with the meal)

House salad (comes with the meal)

2 chicken dark skewer $16.99 - tender pieces of boneless thigh marinated with their special seasoning grilled to perfection! (serves with salad and your choice of french fries, rice, baked potato, herb roasted red skin potatoes, red skin mashed potatoes, or seasonal fresh steamed vegetables)

- i chose red skin mashed potatoes as my side
- the red skin mashed potatoes is so good! so tasty!
- the chicken is so good!!!! It's not dry at all! It's juicy and smooth! Cooked JUST RIGHT! PERFECT~
- the portion looks so little, just two skewers. But trust me, it's enough to make you full! It comes with a big portion of salad, and the chicken is filling.

2 lamb skewer $18.99 (same as the chicken skewer - it serves with salad and your choice of french fries, rice, baked potato, herb roasted red skin potatoes, red skin mashed potatoes, or seasonal fresh steamed vegetables)

- i chose the french fries as the side
- the french fries are so crispy and hot!
- the lamb is so good!!! I asked for medium cooked. It's cooked just right. you can see it's still a bit red, it's so tender and juicy!!

Overall,

Environment:
- LOVE the place. The restaurant is decorated and designed so pretty
- SO MANY SO MANY people! Try to be there early (before or at 6PM)

Service:
- There are so many so many server haha! Probably 10 or maybe more! You'll never be neglected, there is always someone there for you when you need them
- The servers are friendly and attentive

Food:
- YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY!
- they are cooked just right! PERFECT
- chicken dark skewer is a MUST TRY! =)

Grace

Folco's Ristorante review

Folco's Ristorante (Italian Cuisine)

Location: 42 Main Street North, Markham
Phone: (905) 472 6336
Hours: Monday - Saturday 5pm - 10pm, Sunday CLOSED
More Info: http://folcos.com/ (check out the pictures inside the restaurant, the place is really nice!)

Went to Folco's Ristorante last night. It's so hard to find when it's dark...

So, we ordered 3 starters..
Fresh mussels $12.95 - steamed with garlic, tomatoes, finished with a little hint of spice.
- The mussels are sooo fresh and fat fat. They steamed them just right, perfect =)

Bruschetta platter $8.95 - freshly chopped tomatoes with fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil served with garlic bread.
- The tomatoes are so fresh! I took the garlic bread and put some tomatoes on top of it. When I picked up my garlic bread, I can totally smell the fresh tomato! It's so fresh and sweet =D and the garlic bread is crispy!

Carpaccio $14.95 - paper thin beef tenderloin slices topped with baby capers and extra virgin olive oil served with shaved regiano parmigiano and topped with balsamie glaze
- SERIOUSLY, they are thin as paper. It's hard to pick it up because of it's thinness! Wah i'm so impressed! =O
- The sauce and the beef tenderloin slices are good together, yummy!

Here comes the 2 main dishes..
Ricotta Gnocchi $19.95 - homemade ricotta dumplings served with forest mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach and prosciutto in a white wine aglio olio
- I didn't really like it haha. It doesn't taste bad, the sauce is good. I just didn't like the ricotta dumpling, it's texture, it's taste..it's like a plain raw dough with nothing inside, just not my dish.

Veal Masala $25.95 - veal scaloppini topped with a Marsala mushroom sauce (served with spaghetti aglio olio)
- was going to order the lamb chop but decided to try this first and have the lamb chop next time I revisit.
- the sauce was so good!
- the veal was so thin and tender
- LOVE the spaghetti, I love how there's a bit of garlic taste. It's so yummy! =)

Overall,
Environment:
- A very romantic place haha, the lights are so dim (i would say the place is DARK haha)
- lovely place! It's well decorated

Service:
- Our server is nice and friendly, she was telling us there is special dishes for valentine's night and she would explain every dishes to us

Food:
- The food was amazing, the tomato, the mussels... they are sooo fresh!
- The waiting time wasn't so long, probably 20 minutes later, the starters came.
- The lamb chop is a special (I didn't order it this time, will try it next time I revisit), so you should call before you go to see if they have lamb chop that night.

Grace

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!
Wish you all a sweet sweet valentine's day with your loved one!
For the ones who are single, wish you'll find your true love soon!
I love you all,
Grace

Japango Sushi & Noodle Restaurant review

Japango

Location: 122 Elizabeth Street, Toronto (Dundas Street W & Bay Street)
Phone: (416) 599 5557

Kaki fry (fried oyster) - it's pretty good! You can see, the oyster inside is so fatty. And the fried batter is not thick. It comes out hot and crispy!

Oyster shooter - there are quail egg, uni, salmon roe (tobiko), oyster in the shot and green onion on the top. DELICIOUS! I LOVE the shooter! It's so yummy. Everything blends well with each other. MUST TRY!

Chef's choice (sashimi & sushi) - the chef used a torch to slightly sear the sashimi! It taste soo good! The sashimi are so fresh! The egg sushi is so good too, however I forgot to ask what's on the top, spicy salmon or maybe spicy tuna.

Japango roll - SO GOOD!!!!!!! Again the chef used a torch to sear the roll. It's slightly burn and it smells soo good! The roll is warm and yummy! It just melts in your mouth!!!

Uni sushi (sea urchin) - they are SO FRESH & YUMMY!!!

Beef fried udon - The texture of the udon is really good - so chewy! And the sauce is so good! However, the beef is a little bit overcooked.

Environment:
- It's homey!
- The place is really small, probably only fits 20 people?
- Be there early! It's always packed!

Food:
- LOVE the oyster shooter & the Japango roll! MUST TRY!
- the sashimi are really fresh! YUMMY!
- the presentation of the food is really nice! =)

Service:
- The servers are friendly! They will recommend and explain the dishes to you patiently.

Grace