Dining Out: Iced HK Milk Tea, Dong Po Rou Benny, and Korean Bulgogi Breakfast Poutine at Sugar Cafe and Lounge

Had the most impeccable brunch with Minji and Daniel (and baby Lillian) at the newly-opened Sugar Cafe and Lounge:

Iced HK milk tea

The iced HK milk tea, which features an iced tea mould in the shape of a cat in a lion dance costume (yes, just wrap your head around that for a sec), is the single cutest iteration of an iced tea I have ever seen in my life. (You're supposed to make a wish, kiss the "gold coin" on the top of its head, and then push the whole mould into the cup so it can dissolve into the rest of the tea. If I win the lottery, I will give this milk tea its dues.) Not only is it adorable, but it has a great deep tea flavour and a creamy consistency that somehow never seems diluted despite the ice. (The tea mould is truly genius.)

Dong Po Rou Benny: two thick cuts of classic Chinese pork belly with spinach on Japanese milk bread, topped with hollandaise sauce

Korean Bulgogi Breakfast Poutine: Beef bulgogi with a poached egg, cheese curds, and garlic home fries, topped with hollandaise sauce, sriracha mayo drizzle, sesame seeds, and green onion

Both Minji and I ordered the Dong Po Rou Benny, and it was phenomenal — the pork belly was soft and tender and intensely flavourful, which worked beautifully with the mellow flavours of the (perfectly) poached eggs and hollandaise. The Japanese milk bread toast is perfect here to absorb all the sauce and drippings to provide a perfect bite each time. It also comes with your choice of house salad or garlic home fries, but we decided on salads (which includes spring mix, sun-dried tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta with a delicious tangy-sweet creamy dressing) since we wanted to share the Korean Bulgogi Breakfast Poutine — which we were all absolutely delighted with. It not only came with a generous amount of (perfectly) marinated beef, but also includes actual cheese curds (!!!), and an incredible combination of Asian-influenced flavours. The hollandaise, mayo, and egg yolk provide an excellent amount of sauce that gravy would normally provide in a poutine, and the garlic home fries are just crispy enough that they never get soggy underneath all those toppings. Honestly, these two dishes are perfect examples of Asian fusion done right.

Service was notably excellent, too — our server was welcoming and cheerful without veering into annoying, and accommodating and attentive without hovering. She was always prepared for our needs, made delightful conversation without being cloying, gave compliments without seeming over-the-top — this woman is stacked with people skills and extremely experienced in customer service and genuinely deserves generous tips (unlike many, many, many other servers out there, who feel entitled to a minimum 18% tip for doing the bare minimum). According to our receipt, her name is Michelle, and SHE IS WONDERFUL. I will absolutely come back here, and hopefully soon — their entire menu looks incredible, and we had a truly delightful time today. And what sets Sugar Cafe apart from other brunch places is that brunch service doesn't end until 4:00PM every day (except Mondays, 'cause they're closed). This is especially nice for those of us who work Monday to Friday but really like to sleep in on weekends...

Sugar Cafe and Lounge

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Building E, Floor 2, Unit 281

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(647) 802-1268

Dining Out: BBQ Eel Croissant, Duck Confit Pancakes, and Truffle Fries at NextDoor Restaurant

Met up with my mom to go look at my new car model (the new VW 2025 GTI just arrived in the showrooms) so we decided to have a little Saturday brunch moment beforehand at NextDoor:

BBQ Eel Croissant: unagi, 2 scrambled eggs, masago, tare sauce, baby spinach, and nori on a butter croissant

Duck Confit Pancakes: crispy duck leg, maple hoisin glaze, sunny-side up egg, green onions, and cashew crumble on a stack of pancakes

Truffle Fries with parmesan and garlic aioli

We usually come here in the evening, so I hadn't really explored NextDoor's brunch menu but am happy to report it's just as good as their dinner menu. The BBQ Eel Croissant is especially delicious; definitely a must-order if you like unagi. (Who knew I could get BBQ eel for breakfast?) The Duck Confit Pancakes have an incredible sweet-savoury flavour combo and the duck meat was nice and tender, but I do wish there was a little more of the maple hoisin sauce as the pancakes start getting a little dry. The Truffle Fries — a last minute addition because we saw another table having them — were surprisingly excellent. Not only do they have a good amount of truffle flavour (a lot of places skimp on the truffle oil), but the texture of these fries are perfect. Every single fry was crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside even after sitting at the table for half an hour. SO GOOD, SO ADDICTIVE.

Man, I really need to get out for brunch more. 

NextDoor Restaurant

Unionville Planing Mill

139 Main St. Unionville

Unionville, ON L3R 2G6

(905) 604-6983

Dining Out: Smoked Salmon Benedict and Golden Sous-Vide Apple French Toast at Cafe Bon Bon

It's been a hot minute since I've gone out on for a weekend brunch (I am generally a hermit on weekends and usually sleep in until noon so I rarely make it for brunch), but Minji and Daniel are finally able to take their baby out so we had planned a little reunion brunch/baby introduction meeting at Cafe Bon Bon.

Smoked Salmon Benedict

Because it was brunch, I thought it was most appropriate to get the Smoked Salmon Benedict, which is served on a croissant, topped with parmesan and bacon bits, and served with a nice avocado garden salad on the side. It was delicious and exactly as I imagined (and the top of the croissant was perfect to dip into the delectably runny yolks with), but I did think the portion was a little on the smaller side (at least, for me)… Which just meant that I had to — oh, no! — order dessert. 

Golden Sous-Vide Apple French Toast

So I got the Golden Sous-Vide Apple French Toast, which features a pan-fried log croissant as its base (!!!) and sous-vide cooked apple slices, topped with vanilla ice cream and buttery crumble — an absolutely delightfully delicious treat. It is worth noting, however, that the portion for the dessert was also on the small side and I could easily have eaten another one. (But I didn't, because as we all know, I am the queen of self-control.) I did also get an iced latte with oat milk, but I didn't think this was worth $9, especially for the size (it was about 16 oz., but a significant portion of it was ice). 

Service was okay — pleasant enough, but quite inattentive (in fact, the servers seemed to go out of their way not to look at our raised hands and did not check in on us even once, even for water refills) — though I will give them the benefit of the doubt because it was incredibly busy. I would come back because the rest of the menu does sound incredible (Minji's soft shell crab carbonara pasta was amazing), but maybe just not on a weekend day. (And if you do want to check this place out on a weekend, especially for brunch, I would highly recommend making a reservation.)

Cafe Bon Bon

Times Square Richmond Hill

550 Highway 7, Unit 89 - 90

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3Z4

(905) 597-3166

New York City 2024 Travel Log: Day 2 — A Relaxing Outdoor Brunch at Bryant Park Grill

What to do on a beautiful Saturday morning in NYC? Go for a classic American brunch with the whole family (including my 4-month-old nephew, who is adorably acclimating to the outdoors) at Bryant Park Grill:

Eggs Benedict

I ordered the Eggs Benedict, of course. Because when in New York, do as the New Yorkers do. 

Bryant Park Grill

25 W 40th St.

New York, NY 10018

(212) 840-6500

Dining Out: Mother's Day Brunch at NextDoor Restaurant

Since her birthday dinner in February, my mom's been talking about how good NextDoor is and how we should go back to eat there, so I took her there for Mother's Day brunch:

Brunch Tower

Top Tier: Pineapple yogurt buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and oats

Bottom Tier: Malaysian scrambled eggs, lamb sausage, double-smoked bacon, Brussels sprout and potato hash, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms, shakshouka, and grilled toast and preserves

INCREDIBLE. We didn't think we'd actually finish everything because it is A LOT of food but, you know, we are champion eaters. (My mom, eating the last piece of toast: "I'm so full. But this is too good. I can't stop eating." This is where I get it from.) Sometimes it's totally worth leaving your home on the weekend. This is one of those times. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms! 🌷🌸🌹🌼🌺

NextDoor Restaurant

Unionville Planing Mill

139 Main St. Unionville

Markham, ON L3R 2G6

(905) 604-6983

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 10 — All Day Breakfast Pancake Set and Uji Matcha Soufflé Pancake at Pan de Pain

On our first day in Hong Kong, we passed by an adorable pancake restaurant aptly named Pan de Pain, and I made a note to try it out at least once during our trip. So as our trip is nearly ending, we finally decided to go there for brunch today:

All Day Breakfast Pancake Set
Uji Matcha Soufflé Pancake

The all-day breakfast pancake plate was excellent; it satisfied all my Western breakfast cravings (because, as it turns out, there is such a thing as too much dim sum) and was just the perfect portion size to be able to fit in dessert afterwards. Which worked out great, because one thing I didn't have a chance to eat in Japan was soufflé pancakes, so I was able to make up for it by getting the delightful Uji Matcha Soufflé Pancake here. Perfectly creamy and jiggly and not too sweet, served with matcha cream, matcha syrup, matcha ice cream, matcha mochi, and azuki beans — the ultimate matcha lover's dessert. A rousing success, 10/10, would absolutely eat again.

Pan de Pain

K11 Art Mall, B1/F, Unit B111B

18 Hanoi Rd.

Tsim Tsa Tsui, Kowloon

Hong Kong

(852) 2576-1968

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 7 — Dim Sum Brunch at Social Place

My cousin Bianca (who lives in Hong Kong) recommended a restaurant called Social Place, so we went there for dim sum:

Steamed "koi" shrimp and pork dumplings
Steamed beetroot dumplings with mushrooms and black truffle
Deep-fried "mangosteen" creamy lobster and corn glutinous puffs
Deep-fried "pear" black pepper wagyu beef glutinous puffs
Baked "apple" salmon and apple puff pastries
Baked "black swan" shrimp, pork, and chives puff pastries

I have clearly been wasting my time with plain ol' plebe dim sum. Along with our lunch at YUM CHA a couple weeks ago, we have had the most ridiculously adorable dim sum I have ever seen in my life in Hong Kong. These were ALMOST too cute to eat, and there are some incredibly unique options here, too (I, for one, have never had wagyu beef, lobster, or salmon at dim sum before). But the best part? They actually taste as good as they look. Okay, yes, they are pricier than your standard (e.g. plebe) dim sum (about $68 HKD/$12 CAD per dish on average), but if you're like me and you eat with your eyes first, then it's worth every penny regardless of currency.

Social Place

Silvercord Building, 3/F, Unit 303

30 Canton Rd.

Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

(852) 3168-1362

Hong Kong 2024 Travel Log: Day 1 — Breakfast Buffet at Cafe

Greetings from Hong Kong!

After a 15-hour flight and arriving at 4:30AM local time, my mom and I decided to slowly make our way to our hotel. Except it's Hong Kong, where efficiency is king. So even with taking our time going through immigration, running speed-walking to the smoking area outside to smoke three cigarettes back-to-back, using the bathroom, and taking a taxi, we still got to our hotel by 6:00AM. Since check-in isn't until 3:00PM, the lady at concierge registered us in the system and stored our luggage for us, but as the sun hadn't risen yet, we had A LOT of time to kill. But better way to start time-killing than with all-you-can-eat breakfast?

Croissant with fresh fruit

Smoked salmon, soba, and hiyayakko tofu

Sunny side-up eggs, bacon, hash browns, sausage, roast cherry tomatoes, and sliced baguette

Assorted flaky pastries

There was actually a LOT more food than we could fit in (there are entire sections for Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Western breakfast foods, plus a pancake/waffle station, a cereal station, a juice station, and a salad bar) as well as all-you-can-drink coffee (that is actually GOOD), but alas, we only have so much stomach space. We were so satisfied with this breakfast that we thought it was entirely worth it even if there wasn't a 40% off promotion for hotel guests right now (it's normally about $50 CAD per person). It's occurred to me that I haven't been to a breakfast buffet in over two decades and I don't know how I deprived myself of this ABSOLUTE JOY AND DELIGHT for so long. 

Cafe

Hyatt Regency Hong Kong

18 Hanoi Rd., L/F

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon

Hong Kong

(852) 2311-1234

Cooking at Home: Boxing Day French Toast

Challah French toast
My boss always gives me a loaf of challah bread for the holidays, so I obviously did what I always do and made French toast for brunch today. Apparently, this is what I did last year, too, so I guess this is now my Boxing Day tradition. A brilliant decision, if I do say so myself. (And infinitely better than going into a mall today. Getting war flashbacks as I type this.)

Dining Out: Smoked Salmon Benny, Schnitzel Benedict, and Challah French Toast at Ramona's Kitchen

After three years of casually perusing their menu, I finally went to check out Ramona's Kitchen with Ronsee:

Smoked Salmon Benny
Schnitzel Benedict
Challah French Toast

They serve a lot of diner favourites like burgers, sandwiches, and poutine, but the main draw for us here was the all-day breakfast. Because how many restaurants serve Eggs Benedict all day long? (The answer is very, very few. In fact, this might be the only place I know of.) Thus, between the two of us, we had the Smoked Salmon Benny with tri-coloured home fries, the Schnitzel Benny with mixed greens, and the Challah French Toast for dessert. The food was excellent and we were completely satisfied with our choices (Ronsee had never had challah French toast before, and has confirmed that it's a game-changer). Breakfast for dinner is basically my favourite thing, ever, and they do it really well here.

However, if there's one critique I have to make, it's that they desperately need to hire more servers. This place is extremely busy — the whole inside of the restaurant was packed (on a random weekday evening, mind you), so we ended up having to sit in the makeshift patio in the centre of the parking lot — but there was only one server for the ENTIRE RESTAURANT. This poor girl, who was sweet and lovely, was running around like crazy trying to take orders, deliver drinks and food, check up on all the tables, and cash people out all by herself during DINNER RUSH. It took us maybe 10 minutes for her to come out to take our order, another 10 to get our drinks, and then another 30 minutes to get our food, and I can't even blame her. 

Anyway, I'll hopefully come back again soon, maybe during off-hours. There are just too many Benedicts I want to try.

Ramona's Kitchen

7355 Bayview Ave., Unit 2

Thornhill, ON L3T 5Z2

(905) 597-9220

Cooking at Home: The Thickest Challah French Toast

Thick-cut challah French toast
My boss gave me another loaf of challah bread, which means it's French toast time! I think this is my favourite variation: ultra thick-cut (thicccccccccc, those three slices are nearly half a loaf of bread) with strawberries, blueberries, and an unhealthy amount of maple syrup. What a glorious start to my Sunday.

Dining Out: Dim Sum at Casa Victoria

Had a little dim sum session with my mom at Casa Victoria this afternoon:

Deep fried dough rice noodle rolls with pork floss
Steamed mushroom and snow pea leaves dumplings
Steamed jumbo shrimp dumplings (har gow)
Pan-fried shrimp and chives dumplings
Baked milk custard tarts

I'm staying at home in my jam jams tonight, so this was officially my last meal out in 2022. Think we made a pretty good choice. On that note, I hope everyone has a very happy and healthy new year. May next year be as delicious as this one!

Casa Victoria

8601 Warden Ave., Unit 4-6

Markham, ON L3R 0B5

(905) 948-1618

Cooking at Home: Challah French Toast

I got a loaf of challah from my boss for Hanukkah. So obviously, I made French toast.

Challah French Toast
1.5-inch slices. The thickest French toast I could possibly make that would still be able to cook through in a pan. They barely fit on my plate. Yes, I just ate half a loaf of bread and way too much maple syrup and it was glorious. Happy holidays, indeed!

Dining Out: Dim Sum Brunch at Providential 9

Our fam jam feasting ended with an epic dim sum brunch at Providential 9:

Steamed scallop, prawn, and veggie dumplings
Steamed king prawn har gow
Steamed wild mushroom and snow pea leaf dumplings
Steamed siu mai with foie gras
Beef tendon and tofu puffs in satay sauce
Steamed ginger chicken buns
Steamed chicken feet in abalone sauce with wood ear mushrooms
Steamed pork and shrimp spring roll cheung fun
Pan-fried prawn and leek dumplings
Deep-fried taro and mushroom dumplings
Baked BBQ pork buns

It was our first time trying this restaurant, and while I would say Chef 88 Elite is still my all-time fave for dim sum in terms of quality, Providential 9 comes in at a close second. They definitely win for having the most unique and decadent variety of dim sum (um, foie gras on siu mai?), which made for one of the most deliciously interesting dim sum brunches we've ever had. 

Providential 9

8425 Woodbine Ave., Unit A

Markham, ON L3R 2P4

(905) 305-1338

Dining Out: Oat Milk Latte and Sausage Benny with Potato Waffles at Starving Artist

What to do when you have to drop off your car at the mechanic to get your tires changed and you have time to kill? Ask your mom to take you to brunch.

Oat milk latte
Sausage Benny with potato waffles
We decided to go to Starving Artist because it's been a minute since we've been there. (The last time I went there was literally right before COVID started.) Latte for me, Americano for her, and Sausage Bennies for us both. Glad to report that Starving Artist still makes a killer Eggs Benedict. And that their potato waffles are still revolutionary (!!!).

Starving Artist

5762 Highway 7, Unit 3

Markham, ON L3P 1A7

(905) 554-6388

Cooking at Home: Brioche French Toast with Strawberries

Brioche French toast
Totally forgot about the loaf of brioche two weeks ago, so you know what that means: FRENCH TOAST TIME! It has been months since I've made French toast, and it's only confirmed that it will always be superior to waffles and pancakes. (YEAH, I SAID IT. FIGHT ME.)

Cooking at Home: Cinnamon Vanilla Pancakes with Strawberries

Cinnamon vanilla pancakes

I woke up with a random craving for pancakes, so I decided to make cinnamon vanilla ones for brunch. They turned out less fluffy than I'd have liked because I used almond milk instead of regular milk (I'm a bit lactose intolerant so I don't buy regular milk anymore) but they were still tasty. I also think they would've tasted better paired with bananas and maybe some walnuts or something, but alas, I only had strawberries. Although this was perhaps a better idea because my blood sugar levels would go through the roof...