Atmosphere: The quick service restaurant was located on the first floor of Dragon Tower at Spadina and Dundas with their own entrance on Dundas St. The layout was reminiscent of any fast food shop with an order counter, self-service utensils, a condiment station and movable square tables. While the restaurant was busy, turnover was quick and I was able to find a seat while Stephen ordered. Additional seating was available inside the lobby of the building.

Service: After placing our order, we were given a buzzer that would ring when it was ready to be picked up. Our baos were ready quickly and hot from the kitchen. Soy sauce, Chinese vinegar and hot sauce were available self serve with little plastic dixie cups. Adding a serving of sliced ginger to each order of baos would be a great addition.

Food: Juicy Dumpling’s menu was simple with an assortment of steamed and fried xiao long baos (listed as mini soup dumplings), dumplings and some traditional Shanghainese snacks. Stephen and I ordered two trays of the steamed pork baos, one order of pan fried juicy buns (their version of sheng jian bao) and a bowl of shrimp wontons with spicy sauce.

The baos were good. The skins were a bit thicker than I prefer but consistently even and the filling well seasoned with a good amount of soup. When picked up, the baos lacked the signature xiao long bao droop. I may have liked the fried version better with crispy bottoms that masked the shortfalls. The pan fried juicy buns were also fine, good filling with a similar skin as the soup dumplings, but not quite sheng jian baos (still a thin wrapper but more yeasty in texture).

I did really like the shrimp wontons, more specifically the chili oil that was super fragrant and sweet without being overly spicy. This was one of the more expensive menu item at $7.99 for 8 pieces. Funny enough, I see lots of online reviews of this dish disliking the very aspects that I liked. Too sweet, not spicy. So to each their own.

Overall, our meal at Juicy Dumpling was satisfying and the value undeniable. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit, but if I was already in the neighbourhood hungry, they’d be a top contender for a meal.

Last year for our anniversary Stephen made reservations at Alo months in advance, as required, for their Kitchen Counter tasting menu. Then we found out I was expecting. I called the restaurant to ask about the menu and sadly over half the courses had raw ingredients that I couldn’t eat. Cry. This year we decided to forgo the ordeal trying to get a reservation and celebrated at their sister restaurant, Aloette. Being on maternity leave, I had the luxury of meeting Stephen for an early dinner, 4pm, without any worry of missing Alivia’s bedtime.

Atmosphere: Arriving at 4pm, we had no trouble getting a table. It was also still Aloette hour (3:00pm – 4:30pm), which meant $10 cocktails and wines by the glass. Sun streamed into the long narrow restaurant adding to the cozy fell of the space. Padded wood booths lined one wall and a classic diner bar ran along the opposite. While the afternoon light made the restaurant feel comfortable and relaxed, I could easily imagine the transformation to bustling bar and place to be by the evening.

Service: I really liked our server, who was friendly and seemed genuinely happy. She explained why their famous uni toast wasn’t on the menu that day (supply issues) and recommended her favourite dishes to try. She separated our order into two courses for us, which I always appreciate when there aren’t clear appetizer/entree delineations. All of the dishes arrived promptly and with a brief introduction. This was our first outing since Alivia’s birth and at one point we were checking on her via her nursery camera. Our server noticed and asked a few questions about her then let us know how baby friendly they were. In fact the other occupied table that afternoon had a stroller pulled up beside it.

Food: It’s been 6 months since our meal at Aloette and I still think about their cheesy brioche toast. The slices of thick, cheesy, sweet bread topped with a healthy slab of butter were heavenly and dinner hadn’t even started yet. This was just the complimentary bread.

For our actual dinner, we ordered the Roasted Squid with pork belly and kimchi, the Parisienne Gnocchi with snails and the Aloette Burger and Fries. Both the squid and gnocchi were spectacular and wonderfully balanced in terms of flavour and texture. The squid was tender and the pork belly crispy. The kimchi added acidity and heat while cubes of compressed melon and slices of watermelon radish made each bite unique and varied. The gnocchi were pillowy and chewy, perfect really and the beans fresh and sweet. I only wish potions were bigger because I could’ve eaten so much more.

The Aloette burger was actually the weakest dish of the meal. This was still an excellent burger. Delicious with a meaty patty and wonderfully melted cheesy layer, but compared to our other two plates not as interesting or quite as special.

I had the pleasure of tasting Aloette’s Iceberg Wedge Salad at the Best New Restaurants 2018 unveiling in October and was surprised by how much I could like a salad. Each bite had layers of texture and flavour from the crunchy lettuce to the creamy avocado and topped with curls of parmesan and puffed wild rice. Needless to say I went back for several bites.

I was a fan of Masterchef US and when a Canadian version was announced, I was keen to cheer on local home chefs every Sunday. Eric Chong, an engineering graduate from Waterloo, ended up taking the title of Masterchef at the end of season one. Last year, Eric teamed up with one of the show’s judges, michelin starred Chef Alvin Leung (also a former engineer) to open R&D in the heart of Chinatown. Being an engineering graduate myself, I related to getting a “useful degree” versus pursuing my creative passions. With plenty of hype surrounding R&D when it first opened, I had medium to high expectations for dinner, which turned out to be underwhelming.

Atmosphere: Decor inside R&D was contemporary and industrial with wood pillars, exposed wires, graffiti art and steel drum lamp shades. The bar was located at the front of the restaurant. Walking past it to the back, was the large, open square dining space surrounded with perimeter of bench seats. Tables were set up in the centre as well, but the most popular tables seemed to be the corners. While I had trouble finding a table at other popular Toronto restaurants for that Thursday night, R&D was quiet. In hindsight, the empty tables should have been telling, but I still had high hopes as we settled in.

Service: I remember our server being friendly and accommodating. Drinks took some time to arrive, but she checked in on us and kept us updated during the wait. The menu at R&D was kind of a mess with too many sections and unclear portion sizes. Our server recommended the number of dishes we should order and we ended up with one dish too many. At least there was three of us. At the table next to us were two ladies who ordered the same number amount we did.

Food: What I struggled with at R&D was the inconsistency in the quality of dishes and ingredients. The restaurant touts modern Canadian Asian cuisine. I found the more Asian dishes, great, but many of the Canadian “fusion” elements felt forced. Dim sum plates were priced from $6-$8 for 3 pieces, pricey, and the only one that caught our eye, the Dragon Soup Dumplings, were no longer available. So we skipped that section of the menu.

Instead, we started with an order of the CSB, fresh from the oven and understandably R&D’s best seller. The buns was crispy, flakey, sweet, savoury and took me back straight to Tim Ho Wan. After these I was excited. We also tried the pork belly buns, not bad but with tough bao competition in the neighbourhood, this didn’t stand out. Next was a traditional Thai dish, the Son-in-Law Eggs. Two soft boiled eggs were fried until golden brown and served with tuna tartar. The eggs were perfectly yolky inside with a crispy exterior while the tuna tartar was refreshing and lightly seasoned, a good balance to the rich egg yolk.

For mains, we had the octopus with roasted eggplant, miso and Chinese chimichurri. I couldn’t tell what made the chimichurri Chinese. The medallions of grilled eggplant with a miso sauce was ok, but the texture of the octopus was mushy. While pleasing the eye, this dish well very short of expectations. A better fusion dish was the Tiger Skin Nachos. Tortilla chips were covered with a minced pork, chili, lobster sauce. Our server warned us that the chilis used were a hit or miss when it came to spice, the one in our nachos packed a punch.

Of all the menu items, I was most excited to try the Colonel Tso’s Chicken and Waffle, which disappointed. First I was expecting Hong Kong egg waffles based on photos online. What arrived were normal waffles that weren’t crispy. Second, I was expecting whole pieces of bone-in fried chicken. What arrived was de-boned, white meat, chicken tenders that were not juicy or crispy.

Overall, R&D had potential but floundered.

Dumpling house on Spadina near Dundas has been an institution in Chinatown for as long as I remember. Walking by, I’d always pause at the store window and watch the ladies expertly roll out wrappers and fold dumplings at a lightning pace. Today, there’s a handful of new dumpling restaurants in Chinatown but I still like like the classic.

Decor: I was surprised walking into Dumpling house. The restaurant looked quite different, with a modern facelift since my last visit years ago. Walls were decorated with Chinese opera masks and mirrors. Bright red accents filled the room from the tables to the ceilings and created a distinctly Asian feel (along with the hanging chilis and rope knot pendants). The space was cramped but clean. Most of the tables were set up for groups of 2 or 4 and our party occupied the single large round table.

Service: Coming with 6 people, I was worried about getting a table at lunch on a Saturday. We arrived just before noon and was seated while still missing 2 people. I didn’t feel rushed to order by the servers, but with the general hectic vibe in the restaurant, I did feel guilty holding onto a table. We ended up placing our order before everyone had arrived, with the possibility of adding more dumplings if needed. Plates of food arrived quickly. Near the end of our meal, the restaurant had reached capacity and there were diners waiting at the door. The manager/owner began yelling at her staff loudly in Mandarin to settle bills and clear tables faster. It was jarring and a bit uncomfortable, the one sour note to the meal but not directly related to service. Dumpling House Restaurant is a good stop to get a meal, but not the venue to linger and chat.

Food: In addition to dumplings, Dumpling House does serve typical Chinese dishes like fried rice and stir fried beef and broccoli. The restaurant also offers noodle bowls and a good selection of Chinese side dishes (cold salads typically with a chili/sesame/garlic/vinegar dressing). We were there though for the dumplings. While walking to our table, I did pass a bowl of hot and sour soup and couldn’t resist. For only $4, the order of soup was filled with ingredients, made with savoury chicken broth, had a great balance of flavours and was a huge portion. There was enough in one serving for everyone to slurp a small bowl or two.

Dumplings were ordered steamed ($7.59 for 15) or pan-fried ($7.99 for 12). With each cooking style, you could mix three filling flavours on a plate for an extra $1. I like to order 1 plate of dumplings/person. Both steamed and pan-fried dumplings have their selling points. Generally, with steamed dumplings I like fillings that are partially meat and strongly seasoned, to be dipped in chilli oil, soy sauce and vinegar. With pan-fried dumplings, I like fillings that are all meat and fattier, which fills the dumpling with savoury oily soup when cooked.

We ordered one plate of pork and chive steamed dumplings, one pan-fried beef, one pan-fried lamb, one pan-fried shrimp and pork, and one pan-fried pork dumpling. Each plate of dumplings is fried in a single pan and served upside down to show off their crispy, golden brown bottoms. Almost better than the dumplings, the crispy fried bits in between the dumplings. This lattice of goodness is formed from the flour-water mixture used to steam the dumplings in the pan before they crisp up.

The steamed dumplings were plump, juicy and the wrappers were thin but wonderfully chewy. The pan-fried dumplings had the perfect bottoms and each filling was rich and meaty. I found the lamb dumplings very gamey, which The Hubby loved. Overall, Dumpling House Restaurant’s handmade dumplings are still one of my favourite meals in Chinatown at a very affordable price. While I’m getting better at making steamed/boiled dumplings at home, I have a long ways to go before even coming close to their pan-fried ones.

In mid-November, The Hubby and I found ourselves downtown in need of dinner and craving fried chicken. We decided to head over to Lucky Red in Chinatown to satisfy our rumbling stomachs. Lucky Red Shop comes from the same guys behind the incredible Banh Mi Boys and was originally intended to focus on baos with a twist. First opened in July 2014, the shop closed after only two months to be re-worked. Lucky Red 2.0 opened in April 2015 with a new expanded food and cocktail menu.

Atmosphere: A cold Thursday night at 8pm wasn’t exactly peak dinner time but a handful of tables were filled at Lucky Red. Diners ranged from college students having dinner to suits enjoying drinks and snacks. The decor was modern, featuring lots of natural wood and bold red accents. We sat near the doors of the restaurant and unfortunately each time they opened, a gust of cold air swept in.

Service: Service was great. Our server was friendly and attentive. Each dish arrived quickly from the kitchen and she helped us make room on the table as each was served.

Food: In total, we ordered 4 dishes, 2 were great, 1 was ok and 1 was pretty meh. The price of the fried chicken though (4 pieces, basically half a big chicken, for $11) was a great deal. We started with freshly fried chips and an eggplant dip for $7. Simple and satisfying. We were also offered more chips after we polished off the first bowl. Next was an order of the Duck Gravy Poutine. This was my meh dish. I found the duck gravy a little heavy on fat and light on flavour, and weighed down the fries.

The steamed Pork Belly Bao was amazing. Sweet, rendered pork belly with a touch of acidity and crunch from the pickled onions was harmony wrapped in a soft bao. I should’ve skipped the poutine and ordered more baos. When the fried chicken arrived, I was blown away by the portion size. Two drumsticks and two thighs were plated with lime wedges and baby dills. The chicken was juicy and tender but my tastebuds were confused from the sugar in the batter. With each bite I expected salty, and instead was greeted with bursts of sweetness. It took some re-training but after the first piece, I was eager for the second.

Overall, with a couple of beers our bill came to about $30 each. Far from an expensive bill, but high relative to their neighbours, although not for similar fare. Lucky Red 2.0 was good and a hair from great.

Chinatown is not known for fine dining. In fact, recently it’s barely been known for Chinese food with the wider and better selection north of the city in Markham. However, times are changing and the area is being revitalized with a slew of new restaurant openings. One of the more “hip” additions to the neighbourhood is People’s Eatery, a dining establishment with an ambitious, culturally diverse menu.

Atmosphere: For my bachelorette night out, I met up with my closest female friends and ventured on a mini food tour of Toronto. Our first stop was People’s Eatery. We were seated upstairs at a long table in front of a large window that filled the room with natural light. While the rest of the restaurant was busy, tables and the bar packed with diners, our table felt secluded and private.

Service: With many stops planned for the night, our schedule was tight. People’s Eatery was accommodating and efficient dealing with the large group. Many of the dishes were prepared to be ready as we sat down and were served at a steady pace. Our server also made sure everyone had plenty of cocktails to sip on.

Food: Being a stop just for appetizers, we ordered multiples of four dishes (plus some fresh oysters) to try. First was the Deluxe Smoked Fish platter, one of the restaurants signature dishes. Assembled with four types of fish, cream cheese, pickles and served with a side of bagel chips, the plate was a beautiful palate of color. The fish was soft, flavourful and the pickles had a great balance between sweet and sour. I liked being able to customize each bite with just the right ratio of cheese and dill. The pictured platter was the portion for two ($30), plenty of fish to go around. Of the night, this dish was hard to beat.

Next was the General Tso Tofu, deep fried tofu squares covered in a surprisingly spicy sauce. I enjoyed the intensity of the dish. Bite-size Latkes followed. The potato pancakes were fried to a dark brown, topped with sour cream, trout and roe. Not bad, but paled in comparison to the Smoked Fish Platter.

The last dish we had was a playful interpretation of Liver and Onions. A small jar of Foie Gras mousse (my maid of honour knows me well), topped with fresh chives was served with a sweet, tart onion jam and challah bread sticks. That mousse was airy, creamy, heavy and perfect with the jam. I wouldn’t be able to eat a spoonful of the mousse, far too rich, but with the acidity from the onions and the crunchy. neutral challah base, each bite was amazing.

Overall, my small nibble at People’s Eatery left me wanting more. For the area though, it’s pricey. If I were a university student choosing between a $7 noodle bowl across the street or a single small tapas plate, I’d be heading to King’s Noodle. Hopefully, Chinatown’s growing up and it’s exciting to see the change in landscape.

The Fiance has been working in Montreal for over a year now and goes out for lunch everyday. One of his favourite spots is NuDo Noodle House at the Eaton centre, which serves up fresh hand pulled noodles. When we visited the city back in February, in the middle of a snowstorm, a hot bowl of chewy noodles from NuDo’s Chinatown location was a perfect lunch.

Since there was a ton of snow outside and a Sunday, the restaurant was quiet and pretty empty. We had no problems with ordering all in English and all the servers did speak Mandarin as well. The restaurant was pretty spacious with plenty of square tables. Multiple TVs were mounted in corners and streaming an old Naruto episode.

We ordered a cold dish and a soup bowl to split between the 3 of us. For the cold dish, we choose the shredded chicken with sesame sauce and for the soup bowl, the classic beef noodle soup. Both noodle dishes were excellent and a really big portion. The noodles were had a great texture, consistent thicknesses and were cooked perfectly. Once we mixed the shredded chicken dish, there was plenty of delicious sesame dressing to coat every ingredient. This dish was refreshing with lots of fresh vegetables and super filling. The beef noodle bowl had traditional flavours and a savoury, traditional broth (strong anise and five spice flavour). The beef was tender and the bok choy still crispy.

At NuDo, it’s all about the noodles. Compared to a few places I’ve tried in Toronto, so far no one beats them in noodle pulling.

From middle school to high school, my daily afternoon snack was two hot dogs, microwaved with a healthy helping of ketchup. Then during my university days, grabbing a grilled hot dog (oh street meat) was a treat in between classes. Let’s Be Frank puts a new spin on the simple hot dog with their creative menu, full of fusion dishes and classic flavours, providing a whole new reason to eat hot dogs regularly.

Disclaimer: All drinks and dishes were provided free of charge by the restaurant. All opinions expressed below are wholly mine.

Let’s Be Frank has been 5 years in the making, starting with festival booths, then a food truck, a temporary pop-up home and now a permanent location at Spadina and College. Our group of bloggers were introduced to the three owners and heard the story of how their business came to be. Through plenty of hiccups and successes, their enthusiasm for creating and sharing great food has grown stronger.

Each specialty dog at Let’s Be Frank can be ordered in slider (3.5″), regular (6″) or big dog (8″) size, all priced under $10. The Hot Dog’s served are all Nathan’s Famous hot dogs, juicy, meaty and some of the best dogs I’ve tasted. Let’s Be Frank is always trying out new recipes and with weekly specials like the Doritos dog. They also feature have a great drinks menu with a good selection of cocktails and Tall Boys (even Stiegl Radler Grapefruit!).

We sampled four different dogs in the slider size, two sides and a “hot dog” dessert:

Pulled Pork Po’Boy
Slow-cooked pulled pork, tangy coleslaw, zesty homemade BBQ sauce & hickory sticks
The first and my favourite of the night. I liked the tangy coleslaw, the spicy BBQ sauce and the crunchy hickory sticks
Katsu Dog
Panko crusted, deep fried, with wasabi mayo, sesame BBQ sauce & green onions
This was a really interesting dog, lots of crunch and the dog inside is so juicy, I would’ve liked a touch more wasabi mayo on the bun
Corn Dog
A frank doused in our own batter, deep fried, and topped with Dine Alone Foods’ Southern Blues BBQ sauce
Can’t go wrong with a corn dog and the one at Let’s Be Frank was good with a sweet batter and tangy BBQ sauce
Hot Dog Wings
Hot dog bites, breaded and fried, tossed in buffalo sauce
These were similar to the Katsu dog in breading but a totally different taste profile, very close to a boneless chicken wing but even better, because it’s a mini hot dog
Mac & Cheese
Creamy, sharp, topped with bacon bits and Southern Blues BBQ sauce
All of the strong flavours mixed well in this dish, I found the cheese a little runny
Hot Dog Gravy Poutine
Seasoned fries topped with fresh curds and our signature hot dog gravy
With fresh cheese curds from Kensington market and a creamy hot dog gravy, a solid poutine
Ivana Banana Dog
Deep-fried banana with peanut butter, jelly & Nutella
Self explanatory, the deep fried banana was sweet and creamy, the addition of Nutella to peanut butter and jelly, genius

Let’s Be Frank transforms hot dogs into awesome new delights. There’s chili, kimchi, cheese curds and bacon involved , but if you’re looking for something simpler, the Naked Dog is always available as well.

During university, I often ate dim sum at Sky Dragon Chinese Cuisine. The Spadina, Dundas location was prime and they could always accommodate a large group of hungry students. It helped that prices were low. I could eat a full meal for close to $12 after tax and tip. Prices per dish has increased, but our bill on my last visit was still only $14/person on a Saturday.

Atmosphere: Sky Dragon has been around for over a decade and it shows in the worn out decor. The furniture is dated and the tables are covered with sheets of plastic. Somehow it feels right. I’m there for good, well-priced dim sum and they deliver. Dishes are served cart style, my favourite way to eat dim sum, circulating the dining area filled with families, students and tourists.

Service: Over the years I’ve been frequenting Sky Dragon, service has ranged from standard to terrible, I-don’t-want-to-leave-a-tip bad. The ladies pushing the carts usually speak Cantonese and some broken English so if you’re new to dim sum, it’s easiest to dine with someone able to translate or to order with your eyes and be adventurous. Like many Chinese restaurants, we were left alone unless we seeked out a hostess.

Food: I find ordering dim sum for two people challenging. Usually, I end up eating too much because I just want a bite of 10 dishes, but instead I need to eat 2 or 3. On this Saturday, I limited myself to 6 plates and a bowl of tofu pudding (豆腐花) for dessert. We started with bbq pork buns and a zongzi filled with glutinous rice. The buns were airy and bbq pork on point, while the zongzi needed a bit more meaty filling.

Next were a tray each of shrimp dumplings and siumai, dimsum favourites. The plump dumplings had a thin wrapper that wasn’t sticky and a delicious filling. The siumai were also very flavourful, while wrapped a little sloppy. To add some green to our the meal, I ordered a plate of blanched micro sprouts. Served alongside the bowl of fresh vegetables was a chilli, soy and black vinegar dipping sauce. The dish was refreshing and a nice change in between the savoury dishes. Our last plate was julienned carrots and bean sprouts rolled in tofu sheets and pan fried, reminiscent of egg rolls.

Sky Dragon has expanded their menu offerings as I saw plates of Kalbi walk by and it is always possible to order from their full menu. While a little rundown, I’ve never had a bad meal with them and they’ll continue to be my go-to spot for dim sum in Chinatown.

• 1. The texture of the noodle – is it mush, or still nice and chewy
• 2. The richness of the soup – will the top layer solidify nicely over night
• 3. How salty is it? – salt does not equal flavour

The toppings matter too, but as this part of the ramen really depends on the individual order, it doesn’t make or break a bowl for me.

The first thing I noticed about Ajisen is the size of their menu, so many items! I had a hard time choosing but ended up ordering the “Teppanyaki Lamb” ramen. With consideration to the 3 aforementioned points. Ajisen did good. It wasn’t amazing, but it was pretty good. The soup was well-flavoured (the lamb in my order may have helped to strengthen the taste) and not so salty that my fingers swelled immediately. The service wasn’t overly attentive but it was quick to get the bill and dishes were served within 5 minutes of ordering.

My bill came to under $15 plus tax. Good price and ok food.