I’ve blogged about Phoenix Restaurant before and they are still one of our favourite Hong Kong cafes. Since moving to Richmond Hill, we’re closer to their Bayview location and have picked up takeout a few times during the past year. Basically whenever we’re craving Hainanese chicken.

Ordering: The first time we ordered, I called the restaurant to place my order and referenced their menu online. Since then, Phoenix has set up an online ordering system that serves 3 of their 4 locations for pick up orders. They are also available on delivery apps like Uber Eats, Doordash and Asian apps like CMEOW and F.O.D. Considering their extensive menu, the online ordering tool had lots of photos available and sections for combos similar to the dine-in menu.

Pickup: Parking was plentiful at the Bayview location, although sometimes busy, shared with other restaurants and retailers in the same plaza. While dine in was closed, the restaurant had created a one way route for pickup from one door of the entrance to the other. The area was fully enclosed with plexiglass and there were only a few employees on site. I’m not sure how the layout has changed with dine in open again, however the experience felt very safe the times we’ve visited.

Food: My usual order at Phoenix is the Yunnan Noodle Soup with ho fan noodles, while Stephen gets the Hainanese Chicken (that we share). Our first time getting those dishes for takeout though, I found the fish broth was extra fishy and the noodles didn’t quite hold up in transport even packed separately. The Hainanese chicken was still delicious, tender and flavourful with the perfect fragrant rice. Instead of my noodles, we decided to try the Beef Brisket Malaysian Curry with a side of roti. The brisket was well cooked, had a good chew but still soft, and the curry was rich with just a touch of heat.

The malaysian curry came with a side of rice but the roti was a great upgrade, flakey and soft. Neither of the dishes we ordered were available for a drink combo at the time, which was a bummer as their Hong Kong milk tea is always a treat. While at first glance, the portion of curry looked small, there was plenty of sauce and we had even enough leftovers for another meal.

Overall picking up takeout from Phoenix was a convenient and tasty experience, remaining our go to spot for Hainanese chicken.

Cha Kee has been on my list of restaurants to try since their Richmond Hill location opened last year, but the tales of long lines always deterred us from visiting. With a new wave of restrictions and lockdowns rolling over Ontario, ordering takeout has become an attractive alternative.

Ordering: As always, I look for a way to order directly from the restaurant and Cha Kee has an online ordering system set up on their website! The interface is simple and easy to use. The default language for me is Chinese, there’s a language option in the menu. All the menu items (except french fries) had a photo and the usual customization options when adding to cart (ie. rice or noodles). The majority of the menu items also include a free drink, so don’t forget to add that to your cart separately. During checkout, there’s the ability to select whether to pick up ASAP with a time estimate or to schedule a later time on the same day. There is an option to pay online or at the store with a 10% discount for cash payment at the store.

Pickup: We picked up this order when indoor dining was still open in York region, so half of the tables inside were occupied. A portion of the dining space had been converted to service pick up orders only and Stephen was in and out. Being a small restaurant, there is only one entrance and not enough space to create a one way racetrack. We paid online, which made the pickup process faster with minimal contact.

Food: We were cautioned by Cha Kee regulars not to order anything fried for takeout as it may not stay crispy during the drive home. With that in mind, we decided on the Curry Beef Brisket with rice and Baked Pork Chop, Portugese Style with rice. One thing I’ve really missed about going to Hong Kong cafes is the milk tea and Cha Kee’s hit the spot. As for our mains, Stephen and I both preferred the pork chop, while Alivia ate a ton of the brisket. The pork chop was tender and cheesy, the sauce was delicious and I really enjoyed the seasoned rice underneath. As for the brisket, I liked that it was mild enough for Alivia’s tastebuds and the meat was quite tender. The texture of the rice was a bit on the mushy side, too soft for my preference and the potato was lacklustre.

Portions for both dishes were large and we had enough leftovers for a whole other meal. I would love to try their Crispy Chicken and all the gooey egg dishes one day.

Overall, our experience at Cha Kee was a moderate success. Stephen’s been inspired to recreate their Portugese Pork Chop at home and I’m looking forward to tasting more of their menu items dine-in post pandemic.

Tasty Delight, formerly Leslie Cafe, is the closest Hong Kong style cafe to The Fiance and I. Last Friday, we decided to drop by for a homey dinner after a week of being under the weather. First, we spent 5 minutes looking for Leslie Cafe, before realizing there had been a name change.

Atmosphere: The restaurant itself looked renovated and clean with wooden chairs and cheery yellow walls. Tables turned over quickly and we didn’t have to wait for a table. I noticed fewer families and more couples/single diners that night.

Service: Servers were efficient but I did have slight communication issues with English. Originally, I tried to order the noodle soup special with vermicelli, but those dishes were only offered before 6pm (not indicated on the menu). She recommended another noodle soup dish and I asked if I could customize to fat rice noodles, she hesitated so I asked what kind of noodle the dish came with. The description was a “fat noodle”, it turned out to be udon. If you speak Cantonese, as is the case with many smaller establishments, ordering may be easier. Other than that hiccup, our food arrived quickly and it was easy to get someone’s attention at any time.

Food: Between a snack and two mains, the food was meh, ok and not so great. For the entree, this was more a result of ordering the wrong dish than the food itself. The Fiance stuck to his usual Hainanese Chicken and I had the Spicy Beef Brisket Noodles. With his dish, the chicken was well-seasoned and had lots of flavour while the rice was ok.

I was not impressed with my bowl of noodles. To start, I wasn’t expecting udon, but the noodles were cooked well, not mushy and had a good texture. The beef was also tender and soft, good but it all well apart in the soup. The broth was overwhelmed by the flavour of dou ban jian, spicy soy bean paste. I couldn’t taste anything else, not the meat, no fat, literally just one flat flavour. This dish was not a repeat order for me.

The curry fish balls arrived last and it is a hard dish to mess up. I’m not sure if there was too much cornstarch in the sauce but the flavour and consistency was off. There was lots of spice, but very little curry flavour and a little on the slimy side.

Tasty Delight delivered on 1/3 dishes, not great but with lots of other menu items and the low price point, I’m willing to keep looking for their hidden gems.