Dining Out: Dim Sum Brunch at Luna Private Banquets

Starting my vacation week with a round of dim sum with Minji and Daniel at the newly-opened Luna Private Banquets:

Steamed shrimp dumplings (har gow)

Steamed pork and shrimp dumplings (siu mai)

Steamed BBQ pork buns

Deep-fried turnip patties

Steamed giant soup dumpling

Braised beef tendon

Steamed charcoal salted egg yolk buns

Everything we ordered — which is standard yum cha fare — was tasty, but pretty average for a good dim sum restaurant. We noticed that the size of each dumpling we ordered is smaller than average, but the portion per steamer is bigger. (For example, most dim sum places have four bigger har gow per steamer, whereas Luna has five smaller ones.) The only dish here that I found particularly notable and different was the deep-fried turnip patties, which are usually pan-fried. (Here, they cube them and deep-fry them so they're deliciously and addictively crunchy, and serve them with peanut and XO sauces.) That having been said, I personally prefer Casa Victoria and NKS Banquet Hall for dim sum, where the quality is excellent and the portions are bigger for the same price or cheaper.

The main draw here is that they only have private rooms, which means it's not deafeningly loud like at other dim sum places. However, the drawback to this is that they have a 1.5-hour seating limit per party, so if you're looking to spend an entire afternoon leisurely eating dim sum and drinking tea with your friends (like my mom does, for example), this is not the place for it. The hostesses at the front are somewhat rude and will ignore you even if you are right in front of their face, so be prepared to interrupt them to get anywhere with getting a table. (And yes, we had a reservation.) Strangely enough, once you get seated, all the servers are absolutely polite and attentive, so just get past the crappy people manning the front desk. Reservations are absolutely necessary, though, lest you want to wait an hour for a table, even on a weekday. (There were at least 15 people waiting for tables when we got there at 1:00PM on a Monday.)

The space looks upscale — sleek and modern with some traditional Chinese touches — which does set them apart from other dim sum restaurants which often look outdated, but this on its own is not enough for me to come here instead of my other go-to dim sum spots.

Luna Private Banquets

7225 Woodbine Ave., Unit East B

Markham, ON L3R 1A3

(905) 513-8989

Dining Out: Mango Yuzu Gelato Daifuku at Savorology

Mango yuzu gelato daifuku

Mango yuzu gelato daifuku

Went to Savorology to try their new viral gelato daifuku, which is made to order. Matcha is their signature flavour, but I decided to go with mango yuzu because it is so goddamn hot out and I wanted something more refreshing (which, in my mind, equates to fruity and/or citrusy). It certainly hit the spot and the mango yuzu flavour is incredible, but I do wish the mochi wrapper was thinner and softer to make it easier to dig into (as you know, mochi gets significantly harder and tougher once it gets cold). That having been said, it does provide an excellent barrier for those who want to bite into their ice cream but have sensitive teeth, so I digress...

Savorology

3621 Highway 7, Unit 120

Markham, ON L3R 0G6

(905) 470-8898

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: Markham Ribfest 2025

I, along with Minji and Daniel (and baby Lillian), embarked on my first ever ribfest this evening:

1/4 rack ribs and sausage with sides of baked beans, coleslaw, cornbread, and mac and cheese from Sticky Fingers BBQ

1/3 rack ribs and 1/2 pound beef brisket from Big Texas BBQ

Unanimous highlights were the ribs (moist, juicy, and excellent BBQ sauce that was just sweet and tangy enough), sausages (great bite, superb flavour), and beans (good combination of sweet and smoky, not too runny or thick) from Sticky Fingers BBQ and, surprisingly, the Dubai-style chocolate strawberries (the berries were super fresh and sweet, and worked really well with the combination of pistachio and chocolate flavours while the kataifi added a really nice crunch). 

Everything else was just... mediocre. At best. While the meats we tried from Sticky Fingers BBQ were great, most of the sides were quite disappointing: the coleslaw was bland (as if the dressing was too diluted?), the cornbread (not pictured) was on the drier side, and the mac and cheese (not pictured) needed to be both creamier and cheesier. (Had we had more stomach space, I would've loved to do a compare and contrast between these sides from all five rib teams.) The majority of the ribs from Big Texas BBQ were very dry (like, some of the meat wouldn't even come off the bone), the flavour of the BBQ sauce was rather forgettable, and all the lean pieces of beef brisket were tough. Not sure if it's the cooking conditions or the actual cooks, but the five featured rib teams at this ribfest have won numerous awards, titles, and trophies, so I was expecting way, way, way better quality offerings. 

Funnel cake with vanilla ice cream and strawberry sauce from Fabulicious Funnel Cakes

Churros with vanilla ice cream from Victoria's Churro Cone

Dubai-style chocolate strawberries

Aside from the chocolate strawberries (a real underdog at a festival like this), the desserts were honesty quite disappointing, too. The funnel cake was way too thick and dense and not nearly crispy enough, and the ice cream on top was way too icy, as if it was made with low-fat milk. And while the churros came with much smoother and creamier ice cream, the churros themselves were hard and crunchy rather than chewy with a crispy edge. We all regretted not getting a bloomin' onion or tornado potato instead of so many desserts. Alas, we were too full to even think about getting anything else.

Surprisingly, we only spent $39.81 each on food and drink, which actually ends up being cheaper than a dinner at an average sit-down restaurant after tax and tip. So, would I go to ribfest again? Yeah, it was still fun to try different BBQ and food vendors and soak in the summery vibes and live music (the band did some great covers from The White Stripes to Letters to Cleo to Queen). But I just need to lower my expectations next time. And maybe better strategize on how to divide and conquer all the food options.

Markham Ribfest 2025

Downtown Markham

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0A2

Dining Out: Canada Day Dinner at Congee Queen

Celebrated Canada Day proper with a little fam jam this evening at Congee Queen — our go-to restaurant for not only special occasions but national holidays, too!

Thai-style green mango and tiger shrimp salad

General Tao chicken

Fried oysters with belacan sauce

Stir-fried beef and Chinese broccoli

Shrimp dumpling noodle soup

'Cause nothing says "Happy Birthday, Canada!" like a table full of delicious Chinese food. (Eaten at a restaurant, of course. There is no holiday or special occasion that could make my family actually cook at home.) Hope all my fellow Canadians had a lovely Canada Day!

Cooking at Home: Canada Day Dinner with Corn & Blueberry Salad with Feta and Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sliders

My friends Chelsea and Braden invited me over to their house for a little pre-Canada Day dinner:

Corn and blueberry salad with feta

BBQ pulled pork

Grilled pineapple

Hawaiian pulled pork sliders

Not sure where they get their recipes, but this dinner was amazing. Sweet and savoury, fresh and refreshing — the perfect choices for a summer meal. We did agree that a second side like sweet potato fries would've made the dinner even better, but what calories and fat grams we saved on that went to dessert at Chocolate & Company (riding on the theme of summer, I got black currant sorbetto and coconut gelato, my new favourite combo), the perfect ending to an incredible dinner.

Dining Out: Father's Day Dinner at Orient Bistro

Took my dad out for Father's Day dinner with the fam at Orient Bistro:

Crispy chicken

Jumbo shrimp with salted egg yolk

Sautéed garoupa filet with Chinese broccoli

Stir-fried oysters with Belacan sauce

Braised tofu with mushrooms

The food was delicious — the unanimous highlight was the salted egg yolk jumbo shrimp, which were plump and juicy with a great crispy texture on the outside and excellent flavour — but the portions definitely left something to be desired, especially considering the prices. Our general rule of thumb when ordering at Chinese restaurants is one dish per person, but we actually ordered five dishes for four people tonight so we thought we'd have plenty of leftovers; alas, there was nothing left to take home save for a small box of vegetables. Dinner was just shy of $200 before tip, and for that amount, we could definitely have gotten way more food with the same (or better) quality and way nicer presentation at a multitude of Chinese restaurants within a 5km radius. To be fair, my dad picked this location because it was the most central for all of us, but I'd definitely suggest going to NKS Banquet Hall or Starchiva Delight for a special occasion Chinese dinner next time.

Orient Bistro

Headford Place

10 Vogell Rd.

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3K4

(905) 237-1188

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: Nam's Famous Dry Wings, Pork Vermicelli, and Vietnamese Beef Stew with Bread at Nam 2

Haven't been back to Nam 2 in nearly half a year because they are always so goddamn busy and I loathe waiting for a table when I'm hungry (hungry turns to hangry), but my mom and I actually managed to get a table without waiting (granted, it was very early evening before the dinner rush, but still) and feasted on some of my non-pho faves:

Nam's Famous Dry Wings with garlic, onions, and lime dip
Pork Vermicelli with onion oil, pickled veggies, bean sprouts, mint, peanuts, and deep fried pork nem
Vietnamese Beef Stew with brisket, carrots, tomato, onions, and basil, served with bread

Still my favourite Viet restaurant for the classics. I tend to order from them through Uber Eats when I want Vietnamese food, but everything just tastes better at the restaurant. However, I just discovered that they open until 2:00AM now! Another way to avoid the line-ups: go for midnight dinner instead.

Nam 2

8380 Kennedy Rd., Unit C7

Unionville, ON L3R 0W4

(905) 470-1271

Dining Out: Marinated Raw Shrimp and Crab, Boiled Pork Belly, Stir-Fried Kimchi and Pork with Tofu, and Fish Cake Soup at Anju Korean Kitchen

As I was casually strolling through Instagram, I came by a reel of the raw marinated seafood at the newly-opened Anju Korean Kitchen and sent it to my friend Minji, who was so excited about it that she immediately suggested it for our reunion lunch with Daniel and Samuel. (I say "suggest," but there really was no choice in this. We were gonna eat some goddamn raw marinated seafood and no one was going to stop us.)

Marinated raw shrimp (spicy + soy)

Marinated raw crab (spicy + soy)

Boiled pork belly with green onion kimchi

Stir-fried kimchi and pork with tofu

Fish cake soup

Entirely worth visiting for the seafood alone. There are tons of Korean restaurants in the Toronto area, but very, very few of them offer marinated raw seafood, and Anju's is excellent. (Minji, a seafood-obsessed Korean who hasn't been able to eat raw meat or seafood in nearly a year because she was pregnant, was ecstatically satisfied.) Basically, we've already decided to come back here ASAP. But if the line-up out the door is any indication, I suspect that the wait times for a table will only get longer after their grand opening...

Anju Korean Kitchen

7333 Woodbine Ave., Unit 4

Markham, ON L3R 1C4

(905) 205-1547

Dining Out: Cozze alla Marinara, Insalata Caprese e Prosciutto Crudo, Tagliolini Funghi e Gamberi, and Coppa Bronte at Costa Sorrento

My friend Chelsea called me up to meet up for dinner, so when we were deciding on where to go, I suggested Costa Sorrento, which I've wanted to try for years:

Cozze alla Marinara: Pan-seared P.E.I. mussels, "vesuvio" cherry tomato sauce, and crostini

Insalata Caprese e Prosciutto Crudo: Fior di latte, heirloom tomato, basil oil, and prosciutto

Tagliolini Funghi e Gamberi in Salsa Aurora: Prawns and mushrooms in cherry tomato rosé cream sauce

Coppa Bronte: Pistachio and vanilla gelato with pistachio pesto and cream

Honestly, I'm not sure why it took me so long to visit here. Every single thing we ordered was incredible. The mussels were plump and perfectly cooked, and the tomato broth was incredibly silky and aromatic. The Caprese salad tasted super fresh, and the tomato was thick and delightfully crisp. The pasta was perfectly cooked, the prawns were huge, and the sauce was divinely rich and flavourful. And the dessert (which is a daily special) was a pistachio lover's dream. Not a single criticism or complaint from either of us. Service was also phenomenal — Chelsea has a lot of dietary restrictions (gluten-free, allergies to egg, chicken, and soy, etc.) and our server went above and beyond to suggest replacements, even going to the chef to make sure none of her food contained certain ingredients.

Costa Sorrento is quite pricey (the meal ended up being about $100 each after tax and tip), but I do think it's worth it in its quality and a menu that is nicely curated but still gives a significant amount of variety. While it doesn't replace my old favourite, Il Postino, Costa Sorrento does absolutely tie for my go-to Italian restaurant in Markham. 

Costa Sorrento

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0E7

(905) 604-2019

Dining Out: Mother's Day Dinner at NextDoor Restaurant

Took my mom out for Mother's Day dinner at one of our faves (and go-to special occasion spot), NextDoor Restaurant:

King Salmon Ssam Bap: Ora king salmon, salmon caviar, Asian pear, yuzu egg salad, furikake, and black tobiko on seasoned rice, served with toasted nori

Kurabuta Pork Tenderloin: Blue crab mousse, fondant potatoes, baby bok choy, gooseberries, and fig demi glace

Koji Chicken: Grilled koji marinated chicken thighs, creamy miso polenta, roasted portobello mushrooms, shishito peppers, and yuzu kosho

Triple Chocolate Parfait: Chocolate brownie, chocolate crumble, caramelized white chocolate, cashews, and vanilla ice cream

Both my mom and I thought the pork tenderloin could've used more seasoning to bring out the blue crab mousse, but the meat was perfectly cooked and went beautifully with the fig sauce. The highlights for me were the Koji Chicken, a new addition to their regular menu — incredible flavours and the most juicy, moist chicken I think I've ever had — and the King Salmon Ssam Bap, which I hope gets added into the regular rotation as well. (The ssam bap, pork tenderloin, and chocolate parfait were all from the Mother's Day menu, so they're currently limited edition dishes.) As usual, we had a great time at NextDoor. The food is always delicious, always unique, and always changing, which is why we love it here.

I hope all the moms out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! 

NextDoor Restaurant

Unionville Planing Mill

139 Main St. Unionville

Unionville, ON L3R 2G6

(905) 604-6983