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.

To be honest, I’m not sure I get Hakka cuisine yet. The Fiance and I have started trying out more Hakka restaurants and the food’s been tasty but we end up ordering a lot of deep fried dishes and in general there’s a lot of oil. Is there more to it? Is this just what’s available in Toronto? Either way, while my taste buds are happy with strong flavour, my waistline is not.

Atmosphere: Originally our plan was to grab lunch at Federick Restaurant next door, but it was closed on Boxing Day and we ended up at their neighbour Hakka King. The restaurant was simple and clean. It wasn’t very busy and there were an even number of customers getting takeout vs. dining in. Hakka King still felt new with customers closely reading the menu and asking lots of questions. Over time, I can see this becoming a go-to spot in the neighbourhood.

Service: Our server tried hard to be helpful. When we first entered, we were seated at a table for 6 with an extra chair on the end. As tables cleared, our server moved us to to a more comfortable arrangement. Each dish arrived quickly and we were left to enjoy the food.

Food: As previously mentioned, many of the dishes were deep fried. Some plates were spicier than others, but overall the spices and flavours were consistent throughout the meal. This may have been because of our choices. What am I missing?

When the Szechuan lamb came out, I was so excited for a change of pace. It was still spicy, but a different blend of flavours that woke up my tongue.

Lunch began with a plate of fish pakoras that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Each piece was generously battered and each bite was piping hot. I liked the spice level on this dish, not burning. The dry chili chicken was excellent and I contemplated adding a second plate. Our vegetable was a crispy green bean that was slick with oil but so tasty. Again, there was plenty of salt, spice and tasty charred bits. The generous plate of Hakka Chow Mein was enough to feed the seven of us and was also filled with shrimp, beef and squid. The chili fish fillets were also solid and had the most heat.

Overall, lunch at Hakka King was solid and I didn’t have to drink litres of water that afternoon. However, I’m not sold on Hakka food yet, not a cuisine that I would crave for.

If I was stuck on a desert island and could eat one thing for the remainder of my days, it would be sashimi. Basically, I’m always craving raw fish and am lucky to live close to Taro’s Fish, a Japanese fish shop/grocer with a small dine in space.

Atmosphere: Taro’s Fish resides in a commercial block located on Sheppard Ave., between Bayview and Leslie. Townhouses are being built in neighbouring lot, but for now there’s still ample parking and signs of future residential development (yet). Walking into the shop, the layout is more convenience store, grab and go, than dine in. There are seats at the sushi bar and along the front windows, but less than 10 in total. In addition to fresh sashimi and sushi take-out, Taro’s Fish has a full supply of Japanese groceries like snacks, sauces and instant noodles.

Service: After taking a look around, The Fiance and I decided to eat in. We placed our order at the register and settled at the sushi bar with a great view of the prep area. In addition to ordering from their take-out menu, there is a great selection of fresh slabs on sashimi in the freezer. You can buy a piece and Taro’s fill slice it into sashimi or make nigiri (at an extra cost) for you on the spot. Our order was brought to us, but everything else was self serve. There’s no tea or water, but a wide variety of Japanese drinks available for purchase.

Food: As usual, we ordered too much food. To be fair, we didn’t expect the rolls to be so gigantic and we added a slam of sashimi as an after thought. In total, we had a chirashi bowl, spider roll, dynamite roll, spicy tuna roll, fresh ocean trout sashimi and two pieces of scallop sashimi.

The highlight of the meal was definitely the fish. The ocean trout was sweet, buttery and pretty amazing; one of the best pieces of sashimi I’ve had in Toronto. Same thing with the scallop nigiri, sweet and it just melted as I chewed. Compared to these two cuts of dishes, my chirashi looked a bit scraggly. Aesthetics didn’t dictate the taste though and the bowl was satisfying with tuna, bluefin tuna, salmon, mackerel, salmon roe and octopus.

Our full plate of rolls arrived and half way through, we were already full. Each piece was a mouthful and had a great filling to rice ratio. I didn’t love the lettuce that was used as filler though. My favourite of the three was the spicy tuna, which had the most raw fish. Overall, while the rolls were filling and helps make the meal reasonably priced, I could’ve skipped them and splurged on more sashimi.

Taro’s Fish is a great place to grab high quality sushi for yourself or a take-out platter that will impress guests.