Dining Out: A Belated Birthday Dinner at NextDoor Restaurant

My friend Iris also took me out for a belated birthday dinner (scheduling a meet-up gets hard when your friends have kids) this weekend, this time at one of my go-to special occasion restaurants, NextDoor:

Fried Brussels sprouts with maple balsamic vinaigrette, lemon zest, parmesan aioli, and parmesan snow
Street corn guac with crema, feta, and friend corn tortillas
New England seafood pot pie with fresh catch of the day, double-smoked bacon, fingerling potatoes, sweet corn, creamy bisque, and puff pastry
Crying tiger steak bowl with 6 oz. Thai marinated bavette steak, salmon caviar, garlic fried rice, sous-vide egg, nam jim jaew sauce, and fried shallots

Four dishes — two starters and two mains — to share. The fried Brussels sprouts and the street corn guac are tried-and-true favourites, but the seafood pot pie and steak bowl are new to their menu. The "pot pie" is presented in a kind of deconstructed format, so it's not really a pot pie, but more of a rich, creamy, thick seafood chowder with a delightful puff pastry on the side for dipping. Exactly what I expected in terms of flavour, with the bacon adding a nice smoky, savoury element, and the seafood was generous. Delicious, cozy, and comforting. All the things I want on a freezing, gloomy day.

The steak was perfectly tender and the salmon caviar added a punch of oceanic flavour — a true surf and turf experience. We mixed the sous-vide egg with the garlic fried rice and each bite was a gloriously creamy flavour bomb. (I did not touch the nam jim jaew sauce, though. It was full of cilantro and therefore would have ruined my entire experience.) The steak bowl definitely made up for the lack of fusion in the seafood pot pie, and offered a totally different but equally enjoyable experience. This was another delightful meal for the books. You know, I'm officially a huge fan of belated birthday dinners. I get to celebrate with good food and good friends for a month!

NextDoor Restaurant

Unionville Planing Mill

139 Main St. Unionville

Unionville, ON L3R 2G6

(905) 604-6983

Dining Out: A Belated Birthday Dinner at Costa Sorrento

When my friend Chelsea asked me where I'd want to go for a birthday dinner over a month ago, I said, without hesitation, "Costa Sorrento." We had to re-schedule a couple times, but she, Braden, and I were finally able to meet up at Costa Sorrento for dinner this evening, where we indulged in a delightful Italian meal of daily specials. (I swear I'll make it to their permanent menu at some point, but their daily specials are just too enticing.) 

Bufala, Insalatina, Pistacchio Mortadella, Crudo, Cipolle, Focaccia: Bufala mozzarella, mixed salad, pistachio mortadella, prosciutto, pickled onions and beets, and focaccia
Insalatina di Polpo, Patate, Carciofi e Olive: Octopus with potato, artichoke, and olive salad tossed in citronette dressing
Mezzi Rigatoni al Grano Khorasan alla Siciliana: Small Khorasan rigatoni with fried eggplant, fior di latte, basil, and parmigiano
House-made peach sorbetto and chocolate gelato

It's one of those meals where every bite is met with a resounding "MMMM!" I find that Italian meals can be a little too heavy and make me feel really bloated, but this one was particularly light and refreshing and we all felt perfectly full afterwards. I took our server's suggestion of pairing peach sorbet and chocolate gelato for dessert and, I gotta say, it was INSPIRED. It's not a combination I would have ever thought of, but the tartness of the peach worked surprisingly well with the bittersweet richness of the chocolate. The night ended with a lovely chat with the owner (who recognized us from our previous visits) and a pint of my favourite green apple sorbetto to take home. Food is truly the best birthday gift.

Costa Sorrento

179 Enterprise Blvd.

Markham, ON L6G 0E7

(905) 604-2019

Dining Out: A Korean BBQ Birthday Feast at Daldongnae

Well, I've officially entered the last year of my 30s. And to celebrate my 39th, I went to watch J-Hope's Hope on the Stage: The Movie with Minji (who is not an ARMY, but I was so proud of her for knowing six songs!) and then we met up with Daniel for a Korean BBQ feast at Daldongnae, which has unintentionally become a birthday tradition for me.

Pork belly, thin sliced pork belly, and beef boneless short rib
Pork belly
Pork belly
Thin sliced pork belly
Beef boneless short rib
Beef boneless short rib
Black tiger shrimp
Black tiger shrimp
Kimchi jeon
Doenjang jjigae

Two orders of pork belly, thin sliced pork belly (you know, for a crispier experience), and beef boneless short rib, with side orders of black tiger shrimp, assorted mushrooms, and kimchi pancake. (We got the kimchi jeon because Daniel doesn't eat seafood and while it's decent, the seafood pajeon is so much better. The one at Daldongnae is still one of the best I've ever had. Minji and I have vowed to get it next time we come here, Daniel's tastebuds be damned.) The BBQ also comes with unlimited egg, corn cheese, lettuce for wraps, garlic slices, kimchi, soybean stew, and a variety of banchan (I don't care what anyone says, acorn jelly is the best of them all and I'm pretty sure between me and Minji, we had at least eight refills).

In lieu of birthday cake (I already blew out a birthday candle at last night's dinner, anyway), we went over to Tiger Sugar for bubble tea and croffles. A lovely ending to a perfectly low-key birthday.

Daldongnae

135 York Blvd.

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B4

(905) 707-0683

Dining Out: An Early Birthday Dinner at Watercolour

I'd wanted to try Watercolour for a couple years now but kept forgetting about it because newer restaurants kept opening up, so when my mom asked where I wanted to go for this year's birthday dinner, I decided it was finally time to try it out. And I can't believe it took me so long to finally eat there.

Beets and goat cheese with roasted walnuts, shallots, dill, and champagne vinaigrette
Daily special: PEI mussels with leeks in white wine cream sauce
Daily special: Halibut with chickpeas and Swiss chard
Red wine braised short rib with rigatoni, Calabrian chili, and parmesan
Lemon meringue tart

We decided to go with two dishes from the regular menu and two from the daily specials. Impeccable combinations of flavours and textures in every dish. Not a single dud or disappointment. Just swooning after every bite. (I wish I had been paying more attention to what was in the daily specials, but I was so freaking hungry and excited at the prospect of eating that I only took in the key words, so forgive me for the lack of detail in the descriptions. Like, the red, aromatic, slightly spicy sauce with the halibut? I have no idea what it is. But it was fucking delicious.) Even when our server — who was incredible, by the way; professional but with a great sense of humour, attentive but not cloying — came by with our mains, he said, "That looks so, so good." 

He asked if it was a special occasion, so I told him it was my birthday and he lit a little candle to go with our dessert — the best lemon meringue pie I've ever had in my life. (Already knowing the answer, he did ask, while chuckling, if I wanted him to sing happy birthday, and I said, also smiling, "Absolutely not, but thank you.") Even my mom, who is notoriously critical, had nothing negative to say about this dinner. We both had nothing but praise for the food and the service. It was a truly incredible meal. So glad I finally got to try Watercolour. It's pricey, so it's firmly in the "special occasions" category, but I will absolutely be coming back. Wonder if they're open for Christmas…

Watercolour

166 Main St. Unionville

Unionville, ON L3R 2G9

(905) 266-6877

Dining Out: An Early Birthday Dinner at Bâton Rouge

When my dad texted me asking where I'd want to have dinner for my birthday, I originally told him The Keg, which has been my go-to for many years. But he said we always go to The Keg and should try something else. So I decided to go with Bâton Rouge, which I figured was the most similar in menu to The Keg and close enough in location (coincidentally, it's right across the street from The Keg).

Cauliflower wings with General Tao sauce, green onions, and sesame seeds
Crispy Brussels sprouts with Mike's Hot Honey, sesame and tahini vinaigrette, and maple candied pecans
Mixed greens salad with croutons, chopped egg, and green goddess vinaigrette
Prime rib with au jus, garlic mashed potatoes, and seasonal vegetables
Choco-espresso cream pie

The appetizers were good, especially the Brussels sprouts (which I highly recommend), but everything else was… okay-to-decent. Maybe because I'm actively comparing the food here to The Keg, but the prime rib just doesn't compete. Both my mom and I ordered it, and it looks like we somehow both got the ugly end pieces. We're used to prime rib being sliced from the centre, with a nice pinkish-red surface, but this looked almost unappetizing. Still, the inside was medium rare and the flavour was good, which is what counts, I guess. Unfortunately, the meat was way chewier with way more tendon than what we're used to from The Keg. Our cuts were also supposed to be 12 oz., but they seemed much smaller here, maybe closer to 8 or 9 oz. (For context, I usually can't finish both the meat and mashed potatoes at The Keg, but I polished off everything on my plate here.) I thought it was just the prime rib that was a flop, but my dad had gotten the ribs (which is really what Bâton Rouge is famous for), and he said that they were on the drier side and tough to eat. He didn't even bother finishing them.

All in all, our mains were disappointing.

For dessert, I decided on the choco-espresso cream pie for the table to share, and while I thought it tasted decent enough, it looked really, really sad — just small and kind of warped, and not fresh at all (we could see the crack lines in the cream along the edges). Both of my parents commented that it was definitely an older pie and that they could taste that it was sprayed with syrup to keep it from tasting stale. Again, disappointing. So, conclusion: For these prices (it was about $80 per person after tax and tip), go to The Keg instead. 

Bâton Rouge

230 Commerce Valley Dr. E., Unit 7

Thornhill, ON L3T 7Y3

(226) 240-8349

Dining Out: An All-You-Can-Eat Wagyu Early Birthday Dinner at Shinta Japanese BBQ

When we came across an IG reel for 20% off all-you-can-eat wagyu at Shinta a few weeks ago, Minji, Daniel, and I immediately made plans for dinner to start off my birthday week properly.

Australia M9+ top sirloin steak
US Gold Grade brisket short rib
US Gold Grade brisket short rib
Australia M9 toro beef
Australia M9 toro beef
Chef-selected wagyu cuts 
Chef-selected wagyu cuts and pineapple
Garlic scallop and shrimp, enoki mushrooms, and cheesy butter corn
King oyster mushrooms, asparagus, and zucchini
Takoyaki
Bibimbap
Desserts: Crème brûlée, mango pomelo sago, mango pudding, and deep fried buns with condensed milk

Not pictured (because there was just too much food on our table and we had to keep eating to make room for more): baked sweet potatoes with cheese, Japanese-style tofu salad (to keep it healthy?), chicken karaage, Korean cold noodles, and tempura udon. We ended up getting double servings of all the wagyu, and then triple servings of the chef-selected wagyu cuts and brisket short rib (Daniel and I are serious pigs). It would've been churlish not to take advantage of the 20% discount, after all. (Note: This discount is only applicable when paying in cash.) It was still $100 per person after tax and tip, but I thought it was totally worth it just for the sheer amount of wagyu we ate. 

Shinta Japanese BBQ

Jubilee Square

280 West Beaver Creek Rd., Unit 37 - 39

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 3B1

(905) 597-0305

Dining Out: Mixed Mango Shaved Ice and The Wizard of Oz Shaved Ice at Miss Lin Cafe

Minji, Daniel, and I actually wanted to get bingsu for some after-work dessert, but there just aren't any good places around Markham that serve it, so Minji suggested Miss Lin Cafe for their Taiwanese-style shaved ice instead:

Mixed Mango Shaved Ice: Mango shaved ice, mango, mochi balls, milky crunch, coconut crisp, green grapes, and coconut milk
The Wizard of Oz: Matcha shaved ice, strawberries, water chestnut pearls, milky crunch, and ice cream

We decided to share the Mixed Mango and The Wizard of Oz. They were both great but we all liked the Mixed Mango more — mostly because we just like mango more than strawberry as a fruit, but partly because the combination of flavours and textures just seemed to work better together. While the shaved ice here isn't as smooth or creamy as bingsu, it does hit the spot. (It must be noted, however, that the shaved ice here is significantly better than the version at Honeymoon Dessert.) And they definitely win for the most aesthetic shaved ice I've ever had.

Miss Lin Cafe

Liberty Square

3601 Highway 7, Unit 119

Markham, ON L3R 0M3

(905) 604-5513

Dining Out: Spicy Tteokbokki, Black Pepper Fried Chicken, and Soy Garlic Fried Chicken at Bb.q Chicken

Craving Korean fried chicken, Minji, Daniel, and I met up for an early dinner at bb.q Chicken.

Spicy tteokbokki
Black pepper boneless fried chicken
Soy garlic boneless fried chicken

I don't eat Korean fried chicken that often anymore, but I gotta say, bb.q Chicken is still my favourite and my go-to after all these years. Their slogan is "best of the best quality chicken" (yes, that's what the "bb.q" stands for) and while I don't know if they're the BEST OF THE BEST, they are extremely consistent. Their menu has a big variety of chicken types and flavours, appetizers, and sides, but still manages to be well-curated. Aside from the ultra-spicy selections, I've yet to try a chicken flavour I didn't like, whether dry, sauced, or topped. (Every iteration of their tteokbokki is also amazing. I have yet to be disappointed.) And the best part? Their boneless option is always dark meat, so it's NEVER DRY (!!!). And that in itself will always bring me back here instead of other KFC restaurants.

bb.q Chicken

8110 Birchmount Rd., Unit 1 and 2

Markham, ON L6G 0E3

(905) 305-8110

Unboxing: McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys — Encore Edition

Back in August, McDonald's announced its second collaboration with BTS (the first being the BTS Meal that launched in 2021). This time, it's with TinyTAN, which are the insanely adorable characters based on the BTS members, and whose collectible toy figures are available through their Happy Meals. There are two editions of TinyTAN Happy Meal toys to be collected — the Throwback Edition and the Encore Edition, which launched three weeks apart. Both editions have 7 BTS/TinyTAN member toys — and matching photocards! — to collect. As you may know, I collect BTS toy figures, including all the TinyTAN ones since its inception. So, I was determined to get all of these. However, after my friend and I bought 28 Happy Meals (of which I ate at least 14) to get all the Throwback Edition figures, I could not eat any more McDonald's. For the sake of my health. And wallet. So, I cheated and turned to eBay.

McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toy Boxes (Encore Editon)
The TinyTAN Happy Meals launched across 70+ countries, with the roll-out of the Encore Edition starting on September 23. In Canada, it was announced that the Encore Edition would launch on October 3, although locations that ran out of the Throwback Edition toys early started giving out the Encore Edition ones. That having been said, I knew by the end of September that there would be a lot of Americans that would have the whole set of the Encore Edition toys already. So on my eBay search, I came across a seller from Georgia who was selling the whole set, brand new and unopened, for about the same price per figure as a Happy Meal in Canada. (Let's not talk about the shipping.) Either way, it was less than the amount Minji and I spent on Happy Meals for the Throwback Edition, so no regrets.

McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — Photocards

Each TinyTAN Encore Edition Happy Meal Toy comes in a red box with the McDonald's x TinyTAN logo on it (which is the TinyTAN logo imprinted on the McDonald's Happy Meal box logo), and comes with the corresponding member's photocard, which features the member's profile on the back. While the Throwback Edition cards have purple backgrounds, the Encore Edition ones have golden yellow ones. The outfits featured on the Encore Edition toys are the same as BTS' "MIC Drop" MV outfits (which have been featured on manyTinyTANfigures before), except with little McDonald's logos on them. Each toy measures approximately 10cm H x 4cm W x 4cm D, and seem to be made of PVC/ABS plastics or something similar. The only difference I found between the American and Canadian versions is that the Height on the member photocards is listed in inches in the US (4 inches) rather than centimetres in Canada (10 cm).

McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — RM
McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — Jin
McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — Suga
McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — J-Hope
McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — Jimin
McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — V
McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — Jungkook
McDonald's x BTS TinyTAN Happy Meal Toys (Encore Edition) — Full Set

And with that, my McDonald's x TinyTAN toy collections are complete! And at least this time, I'm not stuck with an extra 21 figures that I still don't know what to do with because I am way too lazy to list them on eBay...