Take Out: Classic Banh Mi and Iced Vietnamese Coffee at Banh Mi Queen

Classic banh mi
Okay, I am apparently not a good sandwich ripper but do not let that take away from the fact that the classic banh mi at the newly-opened Banh Mi Queen is truly excellent. I'd been wanting to try this place since it opened, honestly (it's inside the food court at New Kennedy Square, where my mom's go-to Chinese restaurant is, so we pass by it all the time), and the chance finally came today when I had some time to kill while I got my winter tires changed. Minji and Daniel picked me up for lunch, so I asked if they wanted to try this new banh mi place and they replied with an immediate yes. 

We all got the classic banh mi — no cilantro and no spice for me, no cilantro but with spice for Minji, and lots of cilantro and no spice for Daniel — with iced Vietnamese coffees for $10 a person. I don't even need to tell you what a fucking steal that is in this economy. I was actually surprised at the size of the sandwich because I'm used to places serving banh mi at half this size for the same price. Each sandwich was absolutely stuffed with pork sausage, ham, pork belly, pickled veggies, and, most importantly, pâté. The bread had a good amount of crunch on the outside but was still soft on the inside so it didn't hurt my mouth like most baguettes. All three of us were genuinely impressed with our respective sandwiches. The coffee was intense and strong, but sweet and creamy as one would expect. Would absolutely not hesitate to get the same combo again.

Oh, and the service was phenomenal. Everyone that worked there was just so damn personable. While the lady at the front was making our sandwiches, the chef at the back asked if we liked pho, and we were like, "Duh, of course we do." So he came back with little paper cups of his house-made pho broth for us to try and it was truly delicious — rich and flavourful and super beefy — so we will have to come back for the pho next time. But just the fact that he offered it to us was so genuinely welcoming and wholly unnecessary and it's these gestures that really make me want to visit again and again. And so I will.

Banh Mi Queen

New Kennedy Square

8360 Kennedy Rd.

Markham, ON L3R 9W4

(416) 456-0298

Dining Out: Dad's Birthday Dinner at The Big Brother 大師兄新派順德菜

I asked my dad what he wanted to eat for his 74th birthday dinner, and he just requested Chinese food (as usual) so my mom and I decided to take him to The Big Brother since we enjoyed it so much last time.

Deep-fried shrimp tossed in Thousand Island dressing with seasonal fruit
Special made puffy fish tofu with clams, sponge gourd, and mixed mushrooms in broth
Salt and pepper crispy fried silver fish
Traditional salt-baked crispy skin chicken

Again, the food was excellent. I never thought I'd need blueberries and honeydew with my deep-fried shrimp, but here we are, and it's freaking DELICIOUS. Honestly, that would be my must-order of the night. The fried silverfish (also known as icefish or noodlefish, NOT the insect) were also perfectly golden and crispy and an absolute DELIGHT. The broth for the fish tofu puffs and clams was milky and mellow — great for accompanying the deep-fried foods. The traditional salted chicken, which we also ordered last time, did take quite a long time to get to the table (they did say it would take 20 minutes to prepare, but it definitely took longer than that because but we were nearly done the rest of the other dishes by the time the chicken came out), but was still as tasty as I remember it being — perfectly crispy, salty skin, and juicy, tender meat. And again, service was great — welcoming, accommodating, and efficient. I think we might have found a new go-to special occasion Chinese restaurant.

The Big Brother 大師兄新派順德菜

328 Highway 7

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3P7

(905) 881-3333

Dining Out: Insalata Costa; Pizza Bianca al Tartufo; Linguine di Gragnano Cozze, Vongole e Peperoncini; and Pizza di Crema con Gelato alla Zuppa at Costa Sorrento

I hadn't seen my friend Ronsee since last December (because adulting) so when he asked if I was free for dinner this evening, I was like, "We gotta make this worth it." So I told him to meet me at Costa Sorrento, my favourite Italian restaurant, where he had never been before.

Insalata Costa: Baby arugula, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, and Grana Padano
Pizza Bianca al Tartufo: Fior di latte, mixed mushrooms, shaved black truffle, and white truffle oil
Linguine di Gragnano Cozze, Vongole e Peperoncini: P.E.I. mussels, clams, shishito peppers, and white wine sauce
As per usual, we decided to share everything to get more variety out of our meal. I had never been disappointed with a single visit here before, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case tonight. I'm not sure if it's because it's a weekday (I'd only ever come here on the weekend), or if the majority of the dishes we ordered were off the regular menu instead of the daily specials, or if they hired different chefs, but the only dish we both absolutely loved was the pizza. Whatever dressing they put in the salad was so salty that, added together with the Padano cheese, was like a bitter assault to my tastebuds. (I initially wondered if it was because I recently quit smoking cigarettes and flavours are just FLAVOURING HARDER now but Ronsee, who is not a smoker, agreed that it was excessively salty.) The pasta was okay, but all the shellfish was quite sandy, and with a total of four mussels and six baby clams in a portion of pasta that is definitely not made for sharing, we didn't think it was worth $40. (Sorry, but I've eaten bowls of cereal bigger than this.)

Pizza di Crema con Gelato alla Zuppa (Daily Special): Neapolitan pie with vanilla and chocolate custard cream, walnuts, peaches, and walnuts, with zuppa inglese gelato

We got one of the desserts off the daily specials menu, the Pizza di Crema con Gelato alla Zuppa. The pie itself was decent, surprisingly not too sweet with a nice firm texture and a buttery crust. But the zuppa inglese gelato was... horrendous. I'm not sure what I was expecting — maybe just a mellow, vanilla or milky flavour to complement the pie — but this tasted exactly like the smell of gasoline. Or pure rubbing alcohol. With a hint of permanent marker. Suffice it to say, it was the second assault to my tastebuds in the same dinner. I've never been so disappointed in a meal, let alone from one of my favourite restaurants. I hadn't been back here since November (during which I had a phenomenal meal) and a lot can change in 5 months, but I'm not ready to give up on them yet. I'll have to come back on a weekend next time and see if it's just a bad one-off or if they've truly gotten worse over time. 

Costa Sorrento

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0E7

(905) 604-2019

Run BTS! 2.0: BTS' Trip Ep. 1 — BTS' Room Assignment Saga

This is basically the comeback of Bon Voyage (except with no destination… and it's FREE!!!) and I CAN'T BELIEVE I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER WEEK FOR THE NEXT EPISODE. HOW DARE THEY ONLY GIVE US 25 MINUTES??!?

BTS EPISODE: "SWIM" Dance Practice Sketch

Is it even a dance practice if Hobi doesn't enunciate every move with a "bam"?

BTS — "Hooligan" MV Behind the Scenes

Ugh, truly the hottest leather-clad gothic anime ninja pirate villains in the world.

BTS — "Hooligan" Dance Practice

Okay, we know the boys always kill their choreo, but this is clearly a back-up dancers appreciation video and I'm here for it. We definitely don't see their full impact in the MV, but they're front and centre in the live performances and they are such an essential part of bringing the 'hooligan' concept to life. 

Dining Out: Jjamppong and Jajangmyeon at Jeon Ju Hyang

Went to watch the BTS World Tour: ARIRANG Live Viewing in Goyang this afternoon at the movie theatre with Iris (frankly, the only time I step foot into movie theatres is for BTS — I haven't heard of 90% of the movies playing right now), and was spectacularly impressed with quite literally everything: the 360° stage; their outfits (I know they always look amazing, but they do half of the concert in the same leather-clad gothic anime pirate villain outfits as in the "Hooligan" MV, and it is OUTRAGEOUSLY SEXY); the perfect live vocals and harmonies; the charisma, stage presence, and general swagginess. 

The setlist does seem shorter this tour, but they performed nearly every single song from ARIRANG (with the exception of "One More Night," for some reason, and "No. 29," obviously — but they even debuted their vinyl-exclusive track, "Come Over," which I'm hoping will be released on streaming platforms soon because it is too gorgeous to require a record player to listen to), which they haven't done with any of their previous albums — they usually integrate a lot more of their discography into any given tour setlist. I was a little bummed that they didn't include more older songs — they did perform "Fake Love," "Not Today," "MIC Drop," "IDOL," "Butter", and "Dynamite" (basically, the stadium bangers) — but they have introduced a new segment we've never seen before called BTS Karaoke, during which two songs from their discography are randomly chosen for them to perform, and it is wildly amusing to see them try to remember their old lyrics and/or choreography. Looks like they'll be doing two different tracks every night on this tour (today's concert included "Take Two" and "DNA," though Thursday's concert had "Mikrokosmos" and "I Need U," so it does seem truly random). I'm not sure if the core setlist will change over the course of this tour, but I can't wait to see what songs they'll pick for the Toronto dates.  

Jjamppong
Jajangmyeon

Now, normally, we would go get Korean fried chicken after a BTS live viewing and/or documentary, but in an effort to be marginally healthier (like, really marginally), we decided to get some Korean Chinese food at Jeon Ju Hyang instead. They don't offer tangsuyuk, but we did get jjamppong (my personal fave) and jajangmyeon to share. And I gotta say, after many tries, I still can't get into jajangmyeon. I know it's beloved by Koreans, but it's just too... one-note? I mean, I've never been a huge fan of lo mein or "stirred" noodles to begin with, but I think jajangmyeon is just a bit too slimy? Anyway, it worked out in the end — Iris can't eat that much spice (we actually ordered mild, but even black pepper gets too spicy for her), so she wanted more of the jajangmyeon, anyway. Jjamppong will always be the winner for me.

Jeon Ju Hyang

5694 Highway 7

Markham, ON L3P 1B4

(905) 201-1002

Dining Out: Corny Croquette, Creamy Kurobuta Miso Udon, Premium Steak Donburi, Katsu Sando, and Caramel Biscoff Soufflé Pancakes at Cafe Kenkaku

Another reunion dinner! Well, I use the term "reunion" lightly here because it's really only been, like, a month and a half, but my friends Minji and Daniel have finally returned from their Seoul trip and this is the longest we've gone without seeing each other in two years. So in honour of this, we decided to check out a Japanese eatery that everyone's been talking about on TikTok (according to Minji, because I refuse to use TikTok) called Cafe Kenkaku:

Corny Croquette: A handmade golden croquette filled with a creamy blend of sweet corn and imitation crab meat, lightly breaded and fried
We decided to share everything so we could try more menu items — the key to dining out at a new restaurant — and all of our dishes were incredible. Started off with the corny croquette. I was definitely expecting more corn (because it's a CORNY croquette, not a cream sauce croquette, thus corn is expected to be the main feature), though the texture and flavour were perfect — honestly just like the croquettes I've had in Japan. Could easily eat, like, three of these just for a snack. 

Creamy Kurobuta Miso Udon: Udon noodles in a rich miso butter sauce with Berkshire pork, mushrooms, and an onsen egg, topped with basil, green onions, and grated parmesan

Premium Steak Donburi: A rice bowl topped with 6oz. of AAA steak cooked sous vide, drizzled with house-made teriyaki sauce, topped with crispy garlic slices and a raw egg

The udon was creamy and savoury and intensely flavourful, though I do think it could've had more pork rather than mushrooms. (I mean, I know we're in a tough economy here, but I think each of us had like, three tiny pieces of pork each?) The steak donburi was actually perfectly cooked to a seared rare and was super soft and tender — I didn't read the description because it was Minji's choice, but it makes sense now that it was cooked sous vide. I don't think it would've come out nearly as perfect when sliced that thinly. 

Katsu Sando: Premium milk bread toast with deep-fried pork cutlet, tomato cabbage slaw, lettuce, and tonkatsu sauce, served with spring mix salad and French fries

I think the standout for me was surprisingly the katsu sando, maybe because I didn't have particularly high expectations for it. The pork with juicy with an excellent crispy shell and the milk bread was amazing — the bread was soft and fluffy but the exterior was just perfectly toasted and if I was the type of person to bring a mic with me in public, I could've done some impressive toast eating ASMR. 

Caramel Biscoff Soufflé Pancakes: Airy soufflé pancakes topped with smooth soufflé cream cheese, house made caramel sauce, and Biscoff biscuit crumble

The soufflé pancakes were delicious and had that textbook airy, jiggly texture that we know and love, but we agreed that the Caramel Biscoff version (which is new) was a little too sweet — great for sharing as dessert, but definitely too much for one person at breakfast. (Unless you are the type of person who likes dessert for breakfast. Then never mind.) Worth ordering if you like soufflé pancakes in general, but I think I'd go with the original or maybe matcha next time. Presentation was on point for all the dishes, and our server was fantastic, too. Highly recommend Cafe Kenkaku for all your Japanese cafe cravings, but definitely visit at non-peak meal hours. We got there around 5:30PM and managed to snag a booth table, but the entire restaurant was packed to the brim within 30 minutes.

Cafe Kenkaku

SmartCentres Richmond Hill

1070 Major Mackenzie Dr. E., Unit F108

Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1P3

(905) 737-3083

Dining Out: Famous Nachos and Shredded Beef Enchiladas at 3 Mariachis

I haven't been eating out for the last month or so for both health and financial reasons (I was hospitalized for a few days in March, but that's a story for another time), but when my friend Vivian suggested meeting up with me and our friend Amanda for a reunion dinner after two years (!!!) — the longest we haven't seen each other in 12 years — I couldn't say no. We all agreed on Mexican food so we decided to go to 3 Mariachis:

Famous nachos

Shredded beef enchiladas

We shared the nachos, of course (still my favourite iteration of nachos that I've ever had, even without meat, sour cream, or guac), and all three of us ended up getting the beef enchiladas. They were delicious and flavourful, meat-packed and cheesy AF, but I personally prefer the variety that their tacos offer. The enchiladas come with beans, rice, and a cabbage salad with picked onions on the side, but none of them are seasoned or dressed, so it relies heavily on the enchiladas for flavour. (I was expecting the salad to at least have some sort of dressing or vinegar or something, but it was just... plain cabbage. I guess the pickled onions do add some flavour...) Not sure if I was eating them properly — I had them on their own as sides but really wanted to stuff them into the enchiladas because they tasted so plain. Still, those who love enchiladas won't be disappointed with the ones here — but I would definitely recommend the extra condiments on the side (it must be noted, however, that sour cream, guacamole, and habanera salsa cost extra).

Anyway, hopefully we won't have to wait another two years for another reunion...

3 Mariachis

Headford Place

16 Vogell Rd., Unit L

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3K4

(905) 237-6006

Hot Ones: Sean Evans Interviews BTS

Jin: "It's my first time hearing that question, so it's a little intense right now…"

V: "These questions! They're amazing!"

RM: "Crazy questions. So good."

Love that everyone is sweating and crying and quite literally screaming, and then we have Jimin and Jungkook just having a casual meal, calmly discussing the spice levels, taking more bites even after getting through to the last wing, and commenting on how delicious the vanilla ice cream is as if it's just dessert and not an aid to calm their burning mouths and esophaguses. I have been waiting for BTS to show up on Hot Ones for YEARS and this was everything I expected and more. Sean Evans proves once again what a phenomenal interviewer he is and how much research and thought goes into his questions. So, so, so happy we finally got this. 

BTS — "Hooligan" Official MV

Okay, I was not expecting another music video so soon after "2.0" was released — but I'm not complaining because after a nearly four-year starvation, WE ARE FEASTING. I didn't think we'd get "Hooligan" as their next single, though — I was fully convinced it was going to be "Body to Body" for some reason — and while I still find the repetitive laughter in this song somewhat jarring after many listens (I'm pretty sure it's meant to mimic shooting bullets?), there is still something very addictive about this song. It's certainly the most viral of all the songs off Arirang.

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

We pop out, actin' a fool again

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

Why this bassline slappin' so rude?

Drop it lower than chopped and screwed

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

Man, I'm 'bout to blow a fuse

Can't be tamed, my head be bangin'

Jumpin' wild like a madman

Me everywhere, 얼쑤

Somebody move, somebody move

Everyone gather here, one by one

I can never ever choose

Every one o' you a muse

Crowd lookin' like a campus

Beat drop, we still dancin'

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

We pop out, actin' a fool again

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

Why this bassline slappin' so rude?

Drop it lower than chopped and screwed

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

I go cuckoo, crazy, loco, save me

Like El Cucuy, I don't need to explain, you already know

Hooligan, like hooligan

Smash it up like hooligan

It's time now, get out of my way

All clear, no issues here

Take you out

Take you out

What's the future?

Where's the now?

This is international

Make it unforgettable

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

We pop out, actin' a fool again

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

Yeah, we the mess, gonna get a bigger mop here

This that K, gotta get a better pop here

you gon' hear this one playin' round the clock, yeah

Round the clock, clock, clock, clock

Why this bassline slappin' so rude?

Drop it lower than chopped and screwed

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

Why this bassline slappin' so rude?

Drop it lower than chopped and screwed

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, hooligan

Watch this, watch this beat goin' hooligan

This is giving "Not Today" vibes, but like, gothic. I didn't know I needed BTS as leather-clad anime ninja villains (hooligans?), but here we are, because I find them ATROCIOUSLY ATTRACTIVE.

Run BTS! 2.0 Brainstorming Session

So, basically, all we know about Run BTS! 2.0 is that Yoongi's gonna start a band.

BTS — "2.0" Dance Practice

I AM OBSESSED. It's sharp, precise, sexy, badass — pure swag and charisma. It's the type of choreo that needs to be watched at least seven times to focus on each member and also revel in the glory that is their synchronized footsteps. I need more live performances of this ASAP. (But the idea to film this masterpiece with a fisheye lens was terrible. Sorry, but it makes it so much harder for me to focus on the actual choreography because it's so warped.)

BTS — "2.0" MV Behind the Scenes

The most chaotic of shenanigans. I feel like there would've been about 20 takes for every scene. I don't even know how the MV got finished, to be honest.