One2 Snacks was recommend to The Hubby and I by one of his co-workers and described as serving the best Malaysian food in Toronto. We were warned about the small shop and very limited seating, One2 Snacks was less a restaurant and more a take-out place. Both The Hubby and I wanted to try eating in if possible, so we aimed to visit at an off-peak hour. Even then, we weren’t prepared for the crowd and just how small the venue was.

Located in a Scarborough strip mall, One2 Snacks was basically a 10 ft square feet with a deli counter and 8 seats squeezed in. A high bar was set up along the front window and low counters outlined the counter and one wall. Diners waiting for takeout, either hung out outside, or jammed against the back of those eating in. It was a tight fit. Each menu items with a photo was displayed on the wall, including desserts only available on weekends. One2 Snacks is open only Thursday-Sunday.

For the two of us, we ordered the Nasi Lemak (weekend only) with chicken curry, Char Kway Teow and Curry Puffs. After placing our order at the cash, we managed to snag two seats at the window. This was great, because we ended up having to wait 45 minutes before anything arrived. Even though we stopped by at 2pm, what we thought was off-peak, the phone at One2 Snacks did not stop ringing. It felt like take-out/phone orders were given priority to dine-in ones, or the volume of orders was just so high that it took that long for our food to move up in the queue. Either way, next time I’ll be calling ahead, or arriving not too hungry. The shop is also notorious for selling out of popular dishes and desserts.

As for the food, it was worth the wait. The Nasi Lemak has a great texture and each grain of rice was infused with coconut flavour. The chicken curry was rice with spices, thick and oily (flavour!) but not greasy. Pretty much delicious. Chunks of potatoes soaked up the curry and drumsticks had meat falling off the bone. The container of Char Kway Teow was filled to bursting with thick fried noodles and lots of smokiness. This was the best Char Kway Teow I’ve had in Toronto so far in terms of taste and texture. The curry puffs reminded me of samosas, deep fried pastry filled with a thick curry sauce (of potatoes?). They weren’t too greasy and there was a bit of heat with each bite, these could be addictive.

One2 Snacks served up mouthwatering, home cooked Malaysian cuisine with no flair and a bit of a wait. Service was friendly and as efficient as possible, given the high demand. I’ll be much more prepared on my next visit and will definitely be ordering the laksa.

For the past two years, The Fiance has lamented about the closure of his favourite Malaysian restaurant and the loss of their famous “coconut shrimp”. After some serious time spent Googling, he found the dish on Gourmet Malaysia’s menu. While the shrimp was close to our expectations, a number of other dishes were also hits.

Atmosphere: Occupying the corner of a strip mall in Scarborough, Gourmet Malaysia was easy to find and their parking was available. Our group arrived just as they opened for dinner and tables filled up quickly. The interior decor was a bit dated and a stage was set up in one corner for karaoke nights. TVs around the dining room played karaoke children songs, that was kind of bizarre, and the volume fluctuated throughout the meal. A table filled with Malaysian snacks for sale was also set up near the front of the restaurant. Clearly, the restaurant is prepared for many uses.

Service: Generally the service was standard with one hiccup. We had asked for three glasses of ice water (some of the dishes had heat) and this request was lost in translation. A poor server struggled to bring over three glasses of boiling water in plastic cups to our confused table, only for us to ask again for ice water. I can understand his frustration, but he very audibly “harrumphed’ and walked away without a word. My rating wasn’t affected.

Food: In total, we ordered 6 dishes. 1 was disappointing, 2 were fine and 3 were outstanding.
Fine: Boxing Chicken and Vegetables with Shrimp Paste
The plate of boxing chicken were drumsticks, butchered for a clean bone, deep fried and served with a sweet and sour chili sauce. Although the menu states 6pcs for $5.99, our plate had 8 or 9. It’s a nice starting dish, but not special. The plate of Tong Choy was a generous portion, tender and spicy. This was a solid dish and a good vegetable option.

Disappointing: Singapore Laksa
When the bowl arrived, it looked so promising. Rich, opaque broth with a deep colour and heaped on toppings. Sadly, the visual appeal didn’t translate to taste. While there were plenty of toppings (shrimp, tofu puffs, bamboo) and the thin noodles were cooked al dente, there was little flavour or heat.

Outstanding: Crispy Butter Prawns, Penang Char Kwei Teow and Roti with Beef Curry
There’s two things to love about the Crispy Butter Prawns. First was the prawns themselves, fried with the heads on, tender, full of flavour and so so crispy. Second is the fried egg string topping. This topping makes the dish and I’d happily pay for it by the bucket. It was crispy, not oily, savoury and just delicious. Just order this dish (unless you’re allergic to shrimp, but even then, how allergic are you?). The Penang Char Kwei Teow, fried flat noodles, had great wok air and was well seasoned. Again, I couldn’t get enough. Lastly, a small bowl of spicy Beef Curry with the fluffiest roti I’ve ever had. The roti was flaky, had so many layers and a perfect match for the curry. This was the spiciest dish of the night and it was very good. I would’ve enjoyed every dish at this level of spice.

Asian food courts are gold mines for a good meal; there’s a lot of rocks, but it’s worth digging through them for that shiny nugget of food bliss. One of my favourite food courts is the one at First Markham Place and Malay Thai is definitely one of those rare treasures.

I stopped by with The Fiance on a Sunday afternoon to grab a quick lunch. There was a steady flow of customers at the Malay Thai style but no line. The menu is posted along the front of the booth and a few pictures of dishes are displayed on the walls. The majority of items have a “spicy” indicator. We ordered the Laksa and Kway Teow, fried rice noodles. Both dishes were really tasty. I can handle a lot of spice but even for me, the laksa burned. After one sip, The Fiance broke out into a sweat. Both rice and egg noodles were used and there was a healthy portion of tofu puffs, chicken and fish cake. The spice level though was high, the back of my throat hurt, hard to breath kind of high. However, the bowl of coconut goodness was one of the best laksa’s I’ve ever had so the burning taste buds were worth it. The plate of Kway Teow was much more reasonably spiced and had a great smokey, wok flavour. The portion was heaping and it was a nice contrast to the laksa.

The BF’s family discovered Restoran Malaysia about two years ago and have since added them to their regular restaurant catalogue.

Atmosphere: The interior of the restaurant featured  beautiful dark wood in both their furniture and decor. There were many rectangular tables that could easily be rearranged to fit  parties of all sizes. Colourful paintings were on display between the wood cabinets that lined the walls in the dining area. The space felt warm and also refined.

Service: Service on our visit was fairly standard. There were only a few servers working the floor that night, so it was necessary to get their attention if something was needed. Once they waved down, service was friendly albeit rushed. Each dish came out quickly and arrived with serving utensils.

Food: We ordered the Singapore Laksa, a lamb curry, fish penang curry, basil eggplant with chicken, pad thai and a side of roti. Each dish was shared tapas style. This is always my preferred method of dining, I am greedy and want to try everything. The portions were quite large, especially for the pad thai and there was a good amount of food for all the diners.

The laksa was creamy and so full in flavour. The noodles were thick and had a thick chewy texture. I’m unsure if I could finish an entire bowl myself with the rich soup but I would definitely try to and it is a must order to share. Of the two curries, the lamb edged slightly higher than the fish with a more gamey flavour and more heat. Also, the fish penang curry from Sukho Thai was still on my mind and had set the bar high. The eggplant dish was okay, it was a nice “vegetable” to round out the meal with lots of basil cooked into the dish and to garnish. The pad thai was also just okay, the noodles were cooked well and not stuck together but a little more heat would have added to the flavour.

Located in the First Markham place, Lemon Tree’s a classic “hole in the wall” restaurant offering authentic Thai and Malaysian fare. A permanent daily special menu is handwritten on the whiteboard, all under $10 and served with a cold drink.

On this visit, we ordered spring rolls to share, the fish panang curry pot, Kway Teow (Malaysian style fried rice noodles) and a side of roti. I liked how thin the skin of the spring rolls were and not greasy. The panang was rich and creamy with tender pieces of fried fish fillet. The dish is heavy. Eggplant and potatoes were cooked in with the curry and soaked up the flavour. I loved the soft potato wedges, almost more than the fish itself.

This was our first time ordering the rice noodles and were pleasantly surprised. The noodles had great “wok air” , a fragrant smokey flavour that can only be achieved using open fire and a wok. The noodles didn’t stick together and still had a firm texture. It was a dish we’d be happy to order again. Lemon Tree is a great option for a well priced meal and to leave well fed.

The location is not suitable for large groups. We had 16 people in total and were split between 3 tables. The max capacity of the restaurant is around 20-25 seats and fills up during meal times.