Ordering: Tan Da Ban is located in a food court at Shops on Yonge specializing in sheng jian bao, a pan-fried cousin of xiao long bao, that I personally like more. They are on UberEats but do not have their own website or ordering system. I would recommend calling ahead for pickup and to check availability, but not too far in advance. The first time we tried to pick up baos, we arrived just after they opened and someone had ordered an entire batch, meaning over an hour wait for any new orders. On our second successful visit, I was able to order by phone about 20 minutes before we arrived. They were kind enough to warm up our baos again on the pan, but this made the bottoms a bit oily.

Pickup: There is a limited number of above ground parking at Shops on Yonge and it can get busy. Underground parking is available. If you’re able to run in and out with someone waiting in the car, lots of people park in unmarked spots. Being inside a food court, pickup was straightforward and quick.

Food: For the three of us, we ordered 6 pork baos, 6 pork & shrimp baos and a bowl of Beef Soup with Glass Noodles. The bao skins had a great texture, thin and chewy with a perfect crispy bottom. Each bao was filled with a tablespoon of soup and the pork was well seasoned. With the pork & shrimp baos, a whole shrimp topped each meatball filling. Alivia devoured 3 meatballs and 2 crispy bottoms. I could have easily polished off another 6 baos myself. There are 7 different bao fillings on the menu including a vegetarian option. The 100% meat filling baos can be ordered in multiples of 4 or 6 and the chives, egg & shrimp, and veggie baos in multiples of 6 or 8.

The bowl of Beef Soup with Glass Noodles was a nice way to round out our meal but not a necessity. With tofu puffs, thin slices of beef, vermicelli noodles and a clear beef broth, the bowl was light and simple. It did come with a packet of chili oil that was delicious. Super spicy with tons of flavour. I would get the soup again for that chili sauce.

Overall, the sheng jian baos at Tan Da Ban were quite close to my memories of street stalls in Suzhou. If I lived in the condos above, I would be a regular customer.

Happy 2021! Nearing a year of being in a pandemic is an odd anniversary to approach. It’s a new year, and like previous ones, nothing magically changed when the calendar pages flipped. Stephen and I are still working from home. Alivia is still home with us, with the help of my in-laws, and we’re still searching for some semblance of balance. A year ago, Stephen started baking weekly loaves of bread for us. We didn’t jump on the sourdough starter trend, opting for a no knead recipe instead. This year, we’ve discovered Crust Baking Co., a local bakery that opened near us last year. Their fresh croissants, tarts and sourdough loaves have quickly become a necessity and weekly treat.

Pickup: Crust Baking Co. is located in the lobby of a Condo on Yonge St, south of Major Mackenzie. Commercial parking is available at the back of the condo and there has always been empty spots whenever we go. There is an entrance on Yonge and another through the back of the building, through the condo lobby. Currently, indoor dining is closed in York Region, so only pickup is available. Samples of bread loaves are displayed on shelves and fresh treats are at the counter. We order at the counter and everything is packed in individual paper bags. All regular seating has been stacked and roped off.

Food: In addition to loaves of sourdough bread, a 3 day process to bake, we’ve been enjoying the croissants, pain au chocolat and tarts from Crust Baking Co. So far, we’ve tried their regular croissant, almond croissant, wild blueberry tart, raspberry tart, Boston cream donut and danishes. Every treat has been a delight so far! The croissants flakey and buttery, the fruit tarts decadent without being overly sweet and the bread freshly baked with a perfect crust. Stephen’s grilled cheeses have levelled up considerably. Almond croissants are Stephen’s favourite, not usually my thing, but the ones from Crust have changed my mind. The marzipan filling is plentiful with a great rich, natural flavour!

We usually visit in the morning, but even the croissant I picked up one afternoon had retained its flaky texture. Other menu items I’ve been eyeing are the giant chocolate chip cookies, madeleines and cinnamon sugar donut. Crust also offers fresh espresso beverages, coffee beans for purchase and a selection of sandwiches, salads and quiches. Looking through their social media accounts, I see macarons, but have not encountered them myself yet. Custom cakes are also available to order via email. A photo of fresh sesame bagels was just posted on their Instagram account and I’m eager to get my hands on one.

Overall, I’m very happy to have Crust Baking Co. so close to us and look forward to exploring more of their menu.

December 1st, 2020 and I officially cannot remember the last time Stephen and I enjoyed a meal inside a restaurant (I looked it up, it was October 2019). Eating out was such an integral part of my day to day routine and something I’ve missed dearly this year. The continuous announcements of Toronto restaurant closures have been disheartening and a constant reminder to support local businesses. Stephen and I have been trying to order takeout at least once a week from local spots since the summer and I’m eager to start sharing our food adventures again, albeit with a 2020 lens. First up is Yu Seafood, our new go to dimsum restaurant, which surprisingly we had never been to pre-pandemic.

Ordering: My preference is to order pickup directly from restaurants, avoiding any third party apps and additional fees for myself and the restaurant. Lots of restaurants have set up their own online ordering platforms, which greatly increases the ease of placing an order. Yu Seafood uses Snappy, a platform also used by Chatime and many Chinese restaurants in the GTA. The menu is English and Chinese. There are no photos so the first few times I ordered, lots of time was spent Google translating the Chinese menu names. Now that we’ve ordered from them several times, it’s not an issue to distinguish BBQ Pork Bun Pastry with Baked BBQ Pork Bun Pastry. Your order history is also stored for reference. We try to place our order during off peak times, weekday lunch or early weekend lunch time, to avoid any delays. I have heard of very long order times during events like Mother’s day but we’ve had no issues so far.

Pickup: Once your order is ready for pickup, a text message is sent for notification. Our house is a 15-20 minutes drive to Yu Seafood and we place our order right before we leave. 4/5 times, the order is ready by the time we arrive. Masks are required for entry and your temperature is checked by a gate using your wrist. You do have to walk through the dining area to the cash to pick up (now that indoor dining is allowed there are people at the tables) but it is a one way track to the exit through a side door. Overall the pickup experiences we’ve had have all been quick and felt safe. We do purposefully avoid peak times.

Food: Prices per dish range from $3.60 to $6.30, quite reasonable for the quality and serving size. Our bill totals ~$80 each meal for Stephen, myself, Alivia and a set of grandparents with plenty of leftovers. Each dish is packed in a leak proof takeout container, which we wash to reuse and have now amassed quite the collection.

By now, I’ve tired 90% of their dim sum menu and all of the items are fresh, delicious and flavourful. The classics, har gow and siu mai, both transport great. Meat dishes like chicken feet, steamed tripe and steamed spare ribs also stay warm and don’t lose much of the experience with takeout. Similarly the baked and steamed buns still taste great at home. I do find the texture on the rice rolls can get a bit chewy once the dish cools and the fried dishes are not as crispy compared to fresh at a restaurant.

Some of our new staple dishes from Yu Garden are their BBQ Pork Puff Pastry, so flakey, and Deep Fried Durian Puff Pastry for Stephen, so fragrant. Alivia loves their Steamed Sweet Egg Yolk Layer Cake that’s soft and airy, and always asks if we ordered the black buns (Bamboo Charcoal & Egg Yolk Bun). We’ve also tried their Deep Fried Shrimp Dumpling with Foie Gras Paste, but prefer the normal steamed shrimp dumplings. The foie gras was subtle.

Overall, pickup from Yu Seafood has been a delicious treat this year and has become our new way of satisfying those dim sum cravings.

Back in 2019, before physical distancing and self isolation was our norm, Stephen and I celebrated his birthday at Momofuku Kojin. I have to admit I really miss dining out. Even though we scaled back our eating out habits last year, trying new restaurants was still something I looked forward to when we did. One silver lining (and I am on the lookout for those daily) of having a long blog queue is being able to relive those delicious meals of days past.

Atmosphere: Located on the top floor of the Momofuku restaurant, Kojin takes over the space where Shoto and Daisho used to reside. While the menu is more relaxed, the dining area felt more masculine with lots of dark wood, leather and metal. I always enjoy sitting at the bar or chef’s table when available. At Kojin, bar seats meant we had a great view of the wood-fired grill that touched a part of every dish. Complimentary coat check was provided and at 5pm, not many tables were occupied.

Service: Sitting at the bar, our order was taken by the server and drinks but we were mainly taken care of by the chefs. After answering a few questions about the menu, we picked our dishes and our server recommended how they could be coursed out. The chef introduced each dish as it was served, which I always love, with a description of the ingredients and accoutrements. Our server continued to check in on us throughout the meal, refilling empty water glasses, keeping us well taken care of without hovering.

Food: To start, we ordered a Corn Flatbread with seasonal roasted vegetables. The dish looked simple but blew me away with the rich flavours of the smoky roasted vegetables and pillowy texture of the flatbread. Every bite was perfectly seasoned, creamy and just addictive. I’d go back to Kojin just to order “The Board”, Flatbread with all the possible accompaniment. This was so good and set a high bar for the remainder of the meal.

For sides, we order the Atlantic Salmon Crudo with shishito and charred kirby cucumber, Gouda Mashed Potatoes and Fire Roasted Squash & Apple. Of the three I liked the salmon crudo the best. It was sour, spicy and the salmon was a great quality. I found the squash and red onion in the salad a little raw. For some reason I was expecting the squash to be more cooked, this was definitely more of a raw salad. The vinaigrette was on the sour side, which I liked but Stephen did not and the golden raisins added sweetness, I’m just not a big fan of raisins. The Gouda Mashed Potatoes was lighter than the name suggested and the best part of the dish was hands down the toasted cheesy crust.

Our favourite “side” was actually the complimentary dish of fire roasted beets that were very sweet, had a ton of natural flavour, smokey and a firm but soft texture. We wished it was available as a full side on the menu. Funny enough, when I checked Kojin’s menu while writing this post, there is a Fire Roasted Beets appetizer listed!

The 14 oz Boneless Ribeye was our main, served with marrow butter, fire roasted shishito and fire roasted beans. The steak was cooked to a beautiful medium rare with a great crust. We’re heavier handed with salt at home when cooking steaks so the seasoning was light to my tastebuds. I did enjoy the sauces that were served alongside and the butter, oh my the butter. Our shishito was one of the spicy ones that was spicy even for me.

Overall dinner at Kojin was a nice treat. There were plenty of great dishes that we ordered and plenty more on the menu I’d like to try.

Last year, back during warmer days and patio weather, my friends and I stopped by Parallel for a relaxing weekday lunch. I enjoyed their hummus so much, I bought a jar of tahini home for Stephen to try. Service was friendly and accommodating for myself, a carnivore, and my friend, a vegetarian. Located on Geary Ave., Parallel has a large dining room, a take-out counter and a great patio. Geary Ave itself is a fascinating street mixed with local restaurants, artisans and auto shops. With Darkhorse and Famiglia Baldassarre down the street, Parallel is in good company.

We started with sharing the seasonal salad, which featured watermelon, feta, balsamic and arugula. Refreshing, fresh ingredients and a delicious combination of sweetness and acidity, creamy and crunchy. I also enjoyed the slices of red chili pepper that added a touch of heat. A great salad that I totally plan on replicating at home, or at least attempting to. For our main, we ordered the Lamb & Beef Ragu on Hummus. As we asked our server questions about how meaty the dish was, she let us know it would be easy to serve the lamb and beef ragu separately from the hummus, a perfect option for us. Dishes arrived with little wait (before I was even done taking photos of the salad) and our server checked in on us throughout our meal.

The hummus was so creamy and rich, enough of a meal all on its own with the soft pillowy pita (no charge refills!). We cleaned up that plate of hummus and tahini. I didn’t need the lamb and beef ragu, but it was a tasty addition. Not too gamey, savoury and well-spiced.

Overall, lunch at Parallel was relaxed and a treat. The hummus really is the best in the city and elevates a dish I usually think of as a snack to a full meal.

After moving into a new neighbourhood, my usual MO is to try all well reviewed restaurants nearby. In North York, this was a daunting task. In Richmond Hill, the list of places to try was shorter but more planning was required, especially with Alivia in tow. One of our first stops was 3 Coins Open Kitchen, an all-day breakfast diner on Yonge north of Major Mackenzie.

Atmosphere: 3 Coins was a quintessential diner with lots of primary colours, bar seating and cozy leather booths, mini jukeboxes included. Each booth also had its own coat hook, which was a great touch. The diner had two seating areas and a lot more tables than it appeared from the outside. Most tables were occupied with families and groups of friends. There was one other baby while we were there.

Service: Parking was available behind the restaurant off Arnold Cres, one benefit of the suburbs that I will not tire of. Our server was friendly, brought us over a high chair and even wiped it off for us. So far in my experience dining out with Alivia, this is not a common occurrence and I really appreciated the extra attention. Plates arrived quickly and our coffees were refilled before they were empty.

Food: Stephen ordered the classic 3 eggs special with bacon, home fries and toast while I ordered my usual, eggs benedict with bacon for protein and a side of home fries. We added a side order of breakfast sausages, a plate of 4, that we had trouble finishing. Stephen’s plate was solid and a filling meal for under $10. His over-easy eggs were cooked well with runny yolks and the toast well buttered. The cook on the bacon was a tad crispier than how we fry it at home, but no complaints. I really liked their home made hash, which was well seasoned and crispy.

My eggs benedict had perfectly poached eggs (makes me want to ask what mould they’re using) and a creamy, lemony yellow hollandaise sauce. This was A+ sauce in terms of the smooth texture and rich flavour. Overall our breakfast at 3 Coins Open Kitchen was comforting and homey.

Back in May one of my good friends visited from out of town and stayed in the Yonge/Lawrence area. Alivia was three months old and still happy to sleep through my lunch dates. I was excited to find out that Maker Pizza had opened their midtown location, which was a perfect strolling distance from my friend’s accommodations. The new pizza shop had dine-in seats and offered take-out, perfect in case I needed to make a speedy exit.

We visited during lunch time and the restaurant was busy. There were high school students, other moms, and a steady traffic of pizzas going out for delivery. This meant that while it was quick to place our order, the wait to receive our pizzas took some time. Tables were bar height and self serve. My friend and I were able to find seats facing each other and Alivia’s stroller fit next to us in between two tables. Now that Alivia eats with us, I would not bring her to eat-in at Maker with the high tables, backless bar stools and lack of high chairs. Toddlers and older children would have no issues.

For three people, we split two full size pizzas, the Tropic Thunder and Napoli Dynamite. Unfortunately I forgot to ask for their special sesame crust when ordering, next time! Both our pizzas had red sauce and an abundance of toppings. In hindsight, picking one pizza with fewer toppings (like Dr Pepperoni) would have been a safer choice.

Both pizzas had an amazing crust, crispy and thin but held up the sauce and toppings. I didn’t leave any behind. Between the two, both of my friends prefered the Napoli Dynamite with Italian sausage, olives, roasted red peppers and pickled jalapenos. Cheese, sauce and toppings were plentiful and the savoury sausage paired with salty olives was a delicious combination. The pickled jalapenos added a hint of spice and acidity.

Pineapple on pizza is a controversial topic, either loved or much hated. I for one have always been on the love side and a good Hawaiian pizza takes me to my happy place. Pineapple and all the pickled goodness (red onions and jalapenos) was how Tropic Thunder caught my eye. I somehow missed that there was no meat. I enjoyed the unique combination of toppings, which was sweeter that I expected but I did miss a savoury component. Next time, also read through the full list of ingredients.

Overall my first bite of Maker Pizza was pretty good. Splitting two large pizzas between three people was a good portion size for us. The bill was obviously more expensive than our usual pizza chain order, but worth the occasional splurge,

Ai Sushi’s Richmond Hill location has become my go to for whenever a sushi craving hits, which means we stop by pretty much every other week. Stephen and I have our usual order, #705, but I’ve also tried their chirashis and larger platters. Their quality and price are hard to beat but I have noticed a few competitors popping up in the neighbourhood. While our last meal at their Markham location was lacklustre, I have my fingers crossed that the Richmond Hill location remains consistent.

Atmosphere: By now, Stephen and I have eaten at Ai Sushi as often as we’ve ordered platters to go. The shop has three wooden bar height tables that can seat 4 people, a few bar seats along the front windows and one large communal live edge table that could comfortably sit around 14 people. Orders are taken at the counter and diners seat themselves. Typically when we visit at lunch on the weekend, the dining area has been mostly empty with the majority of customers taking out. On our last visit though, every seat was taken. Luckily one couple was just leaving. The menu specials were drawn up on a chalkboard wall and a handful of chefs are always working behind the sushi bar.

Service: When we’re eating in, once we place our order and take a seat, someone comes by with soy sauce, a cup of water, cutlery and a complimentary bowl of miso soup. Aside from that, service is fairly minimal. Servers were quick to clear tables and we’ve never had to wait long for our order. Wooden high chairs were available and platters are cash only. If possible, I would recommend ordering ahead of time, even the day before, on long weekends or holidays.

Food: Our usual order is a small sushi, sashimi and roll platter that comes with 40 pieces for the two of us. The platter has 3 rolls, including one spicy salmon or tuna, and a california roll topped with tobiko. Pairs of nigiri sushi and an assortment of sashimi pieces completes the tray. There are usually a few slices of scallop sashimi but no uni, ikura or sweet shrimp. The quality of the fish has always been fresh and flavourful. I especially enjoy the fatty salmon and surf clam. The tuna was also great quality.

Sashimi only platters do come with sweet shrimp and herring roe. Slices of squid sashimi were presented wrapped around thinly sliced cucumber and tobiko, a great combination of textures and taste. The rolls were well made with a thin layer of rice and plentiful fillings. Ordered individually regular and special rolls are priced from $3.99 to $5.99 each, a good deal for those with bigger appetites.

So far, I’ve tried the Deluxe Kaisendon and Unadon. The Unadon was a very generous portion of bbq eel on steamed rice. Delicious and a good choice for anyone who doesn’t eat raw sushi. My Kaisendon was topped with 12 different pieces of sashimi and so good. There was ikura, sweet shrimp, a bite of uni salmon belly and scallop. After tax, the bowl was around $18 and worth the price. I still have to try out their non deluxe chirashi bowls to compare the value.

Overall, Ai Sushi’s Richmond Hill location offers excellent quality sushi at a very reasonable price point.

Stephen and I attempted to have dinner at Ai Tre Scalini our first night in Rome, but seeing a queue outside paired with our growling stomachs we ended up across the street at Le Tavernelle instead that night. Being prepared for a wait, we tried again for our last meal in the city. This time, I was happy to wait outside the popular wine bar with a glass of wine munching on toasted bread until a table was available.

Atmosphere: Ai Tre Scalini had two sections, a casual bar area that was self seating and a slightly more formal dining area with tables. We opted to wait for a table, which took about 40 minutes. Diners were able to order from the wine menu while waiting and served a bowl of complimentary croutons. There were lots of signs posted by neighbours that sitting on their front steps was not allowed. Once seated, I really liked how lively and cozy the restaurant was. The restaurant doors were open to the street letting in the night air.

Service: Our server was friendly and knowledgeable when recommending a drinks for us based on our order and preferences. We had no issues ordering in English and understanding the menu. Each plate arrived quickly and we were checked on throughout our meal.

Food: To start, we ordered small bites of smoked olives home cured sausage. Both bowls came with a couple of chopsticks and were delicious snacks to go enjoy with my wine and Stephen’s beer. For more substantial fare, we tried the Pesto Gnocchi, Lasagna and a side of grilled artichoke, really my weakness while in Italy. Both pasta dishes were amazing, the gnocchi were pillowy soft with a great chew while the lasagna was meaty and cheesy. There was a generous topping of parm on both plates. I do wish the portions were a tad bigger, but they were appropriate for a tapas style meal. The one benefit of smaller pasta plates was that I actually had room for dessert, and the slice of lemon pie was sweet, tart, and the perfect way to end our meal.

After dinner, Stephen and I took one more stroll to The Colosseum to take in the night view. Next stop, Venice.

Steamed rice noodle rolls (or Cheung Fun) is one of my favourite dim sum dishes. I love the slippery texture, the sweet and salty sauce and the savoury fillings. Yin Ji Chang Fen is a long standing chain from China specializing in the dish that recently opened up in Markham. They’re famous for their handmade sheets of rice noodle and rolling technique that results in a super thin wrapper, which still has a great chewy texture. I’ve been wanting to visit for awhile and finally dragged along Stephens’s family while his siblings were home over the holidays.

Atmosphere: Although we arrived around 1pm on a weekday, it was hard getting a table together for 6. Quite a few tables for 2 and 4 opened up, but the restaurant was small and there was only 1 or 2 spots where a large party could be accomodated. Located in a strip mall on the corner of Warden and Steeles, the restaurant was popular and stayed full, far past the usual lunch hour. I noticed quite a few solo diners as well enjoying a quick meal and generally no one lingered over their plates.

Service: Being a more casual spot, service reminded me of most Hong Kong style cafes uptown. Not exactly friendly, but efficient. If you need something you need to flag someone down, otherwise the servers circulate the room and go where they’re needed. Each table had a slot for menus, a great idea, but they were often empty. Our initial order came out very quickly, each dish in succession. However, we added a few dishes near the end of the meal and ended up having to wait for them.

Food: Between the 6 of us, we tried a good 6-7 of the rice noodle rolls an two bowls of congee. In general, I really liked the soft and thin texture of the rice noodle wrapper and how stuffed with filling each roll was. It was a but challenging to pick up pieces, but each bite was delicious. I also liked how generous Yin Ji Chang Fen was with their sauce. Often at dim sum places, if the rice noodle is thicker, it soaks up the sauce like a sponge and there isn’t enough to for every piece. Hoisin and peanut sauce were also served.

Of the rice rolls, we did try their special egg variety where the rice roll is steamed with a layer of egg on top. I quite like steamed egg, so for me this was a tasty and interesting take. Some of my favourite fillings were the liver, shrimp and chive, and dough fritter. The liver was sliced thin, tender and tasted very fresh hile the shrimp were also large and plump. The dough fritters were so good, rolled and plain. They were crispy with a pillowy soft inside and not at all oily. This was one of the dishes we ordered a second plate of to finish off our bowls of congee. As for the congee, I thought both flavours were ok and a nice to round out the meal, but not the main attraction.

Overall, I really enjoyed our meal at Yin Ji Chang Fen and am looking forward to a return visit and trying out their Hong Kong milk tea. For one person, a meal can be pricey if you’re ordering a congee and a few rice noodle rolls ($15-$20), but it’s perfect for two people or if you stick to just one or two dishes.