In Sushi (Japanese)

In Sushi can be found at 1070 Innisfil Beach Rd., in Innisfil, the town about 80 km north of Toronto on the shores of Lake Simcoe. We went for a weekend lunch. Pop is $2.50/can, not AYCD but at least there was Coke Zero. Reusable chopsticks are used thankfully. Ginger is not dyed pink. Soy sauce at table had a complicated flavour, but was not off nor salty, and was quite good. Mishy noticed that it was chilled as many places do, but usually they bring it out early so the diner doesn't know this.

Beef teriyaki was excellent with a delicious sauce; Mishy agreed that it was tender and had great sauce, almost like bulgogi. General Tso chicken was delicious with some heat to it, but not too much thankfully. Mishy noted that there was too much breading on it, however was very impressed with the flavour. Cheese wontons were triangular in shape, fantastic, flaky, and full of cheese, and the sauce was good too... Mishy said this was one of the few places who got it right. Spring rolls were excellent, not oily, hot and fresh and full of flavour, without freezer burn and I enjoyed the sauce. Mishy described them as light and flaky and loved them.

Miso soup was good, only a tiny bit dilute, with enoki and plenty of umami, however Mishy found it bland and needed to add soy sauce. Mishy sadly described the salad dressing as boring, and it was understated although original, but needed a little more tang. She described the seaweed salad as being comparable to other places.

I loved the chicken teriyaki as the sauce was very savoury and it was not rubbery; Mishy said that it was more like gravy than teriyaki sauce but still enjoyed it. Shrimp tempura was very good and the sauce was good too, although like the miso super tiny bit dilute but not enough to matter. Chicken skewer aka yakitori, and chicken karage were both delicious although Mishy didn’t care for the karage spice. Unfortunately the chicken wings were made with off chicken, not rotten but definitely and noticeably past their prime.

Salmon nigiri was very good and fresh with good rice consistency and also went well with the soy and our brought wasabi; Mishy also agreed that they were very fresh. Surf clam, crab stick aka surimi, butter fish aka escolar were very fresh and good. Red snapper aka tilapia had a very slight aroma but not enough to matter and it was still quite good.

For dessert, ice creams are served as large generous scoops. Strawberry ice cream Mishy loved and had had no freezer burn. Mango flavour was muted but good. Green tea had an interesting flavour reminiscent of the licorice in tiger tail. Red bean lacked that elusive flavour but was still good. Vanilla was delicious without being French. Fried banana was excellent because the breading was light instead of dark, which goes better with a bright flavour like banana. Strawberry shot glass jello was very good but hard to get that wrong. Weekend lunch was $26.99 and this is pretty standard for the area. Other than the one noted significant shortcoming, it was a good lunch.

Rating: 7.5 / 10 + 0 value adjustment (standard pricing) = 7.5 / 10

India's Taste - Oshawa

India's Taste is located at 2620 Simcoe St. N. in north Oshawa, the municipality three east of Toronto. We have reviewed three other locations of this chain; this one opened recently, a few months ago, and the interior was spotlessly clean and gleaming. Although there were no other customers there when we arrived, they eventually showed up and it was moderately busy. Pop is canned, not AYCD and somewhat overpriced at $3.50. However, rose milk made with Rooh Afza is included and delicious, so pop is unnecessary. Naan will be delivered on request, plain, butter and garlic. We went for weekend lunch. 

Mishy said the veg Hakka noodles were delicious with some slight heat, and I agree that they were very good. I loved the chicken kabob, which also had just enough heat without excess. Aloo tikka is a cute round potato pancake and was excellent with a warm cozy flavour. Fish pakora was excellent, with very good seasoning again not being too hot. Mishy loved the butter chicken, saying it was excellent and tender, and I totally agree that it was excellent. Chicken tandoori was too hot but fantastic otherwise, and we both loved it between gulps of beverage. Chicken and fish tikka were both delicious.

Chicken Biryani was very good with plenty of flavour. Creamy chicken had a delicious sauce. Curry chicken was very good and Handi chicken excellent. Veg dumpling was delivered to our table unasked for us to sample, and it was delicious and original. Daal makhani was wonderful and full of flavour, as was rajma curry. Chana masala was very good to excellent, very well-seasoned. Mixed veg was delicious and had a nice balance of vegetables and flavours. Baigan bhartha I have not had before but it was quite good and seems be made of squash. Tandoori soya chaap had a wonderful smoky flavour. Potato balls seem cooked on a tikka and were quite enjoyable, as was tikka paneer which had a nicely piquant cheese bite. Samosas were excellent although I suspect for purchased rather than made on premises.

For dessert, Mishy was not impressed with the rasmalai, but brightened up when I showed her the area with the ice cream and cakes which is hidden near the bar, not in the buffet area. She especially loved the strawberry ice cream with its syrup marbling, which I did as well. Butterscotch was fresh not freezer burned. We also both loved the halwi as it had carrot which gives it more flavour, and it was delicious. Gulub jamun was very good.. Rabri is another dessert dish I can't recall having at least recently and has an interesting mix of flavours and was quite enjoyable. Mango fruit cream was very mangoey and very good. Jalebi is like a sweet semi-translucent pretzel, and was good. Nameless little cakes ie black forest were very good and fresh. It was $32.99 on weekends and this is is an all day price including dinner, which is only slightly over for lunch and slightly under for dinner which balances out. The included rose milk beverage adds value. We certainly had an excellent, memorable lunch and it was worth the trip!

Rating: 9 - 9.5 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 9.5 - 10 / 10

Essence of Unionville (Western)

Essence of Unionville is located is Markham, the town bordering Toronto northeast, at 8800 Warden Ave., in the Hilton Toronto/Markham suites. Weekday buffet breakfast is served (it's à la carte brunch on weekends.) Essence has a very nice elegant open interior. Grapefruit, orange and apple juice and coffee is included.

Mishy loved the bacon and said it was perfectly done and crisp which I definitely agree on... very good. Unfortunately the syrup for pancakes is in plastic containers rather being loose, which definitely indicates it isn't real. It was still pretty good and the pancakes were as well. Chicken apple sausages were good but would have been better if not cold... we noticed that almost everything was too low temperature even thought we didn’t let it sit after getting it. Scrambled eggs seem to be from a pre-made mix, and were also too low temperature as Mishy also noted.

Mishy indicated her strawberry danish was stale. Cinnamon roll was full of flavour and fresh. Charcuterie cheddar, brie and possibly havarti cheeses were very good. Cold meats were also very good and fresh; prosciutto was quite good. Breakfast potatoes were not too cold... happily were just the opposite and were delicious even on their own. Oatmeal was good with accompanying raisins and brown sugar is present in the table display. Fruit yogurt was excellent and a great finisher. Weekday breakfast buffet was $28. This is pretty typical pricewise currently. There were some shortcomings and we found the nearby Crave to be better (including in cost as it was even cheaper on a weekend) but this was still alright.

Rating: 7.5 - 8 / 10 + 0 value adjustment (standard pricing) =  7.5 - 8

Crave - Richmond Hill (Western)

Crave is located in the Sheraton Parkway Toronto North at 600 Hwy. 7 at Leslie in Richmond Hill. Breakfast buffet is served. We went on a weekend. There were plenty of customers, and the location has a nice interior, which was not too noisy.

Mishy loved the breakfast burrito, saying it was even better than Sinaloa Factory's which is a dedicated Mexican place; I found the flavour muted but still enjoyed it. However, she indicated the French toast needed more cinnamon or other seasoning, and was basically just bread... I agreed as it had a slight cinnamon or other flavour bud it was barely noticed. Omelette was good but had not much other than egg ie no mushrooms, onions, cheese, bacon, and there doesn't seem to be much seasoning nor any available to add such as Worcestershire or pepper sauce.

Mishy loved the pancakes indicating that they were not too thick, as she doesn't like them like that because they vacuum up the syrup. I put syrup on mine and it disappeared within about five minutes; I enjoyed them nonetheless as they actually had some flavour of their own. Charcuterie prosciutto, Genoa sausage, cheeses and deli chicken were all very good. Bacon was very good to excellent, not too oily or salty (just enough), and crisp. Chicken apple sausages were delicious.

Several cereals are available and I opted for Froot Loops with almond milk which is a nice option. There is also granola. Vanilla low-fat yogurt was good, but berry yogurt was fantastic, and I had a large seconds... with granola. Oatmeal was very good with the available toppings such as dried pineapple, dates, raisins, cranberries and yellow sugar.

Mishy noted the offerings were more interesting and varied than other hotel buffets. It was $25 for the weekend breakfast buffet and this is a very good price for a better-than-average breakfast.

Rating: 8.5 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 9 / 10

CLOSED - Daisy Chinese Restaurant

Update 2026-09-08: In an unfortunate coincidence, Daisy actually permanently closed a week before this review was posted. Well, there's a first for everything.

Daisy Chinese Restaurant is located at 1200 Lansdowne St W., in Peterborough, the small city about 125km NE of Toronto. It's a short distance from both Loon Ho and Mei Mei which are also Chinese buffets... quite a few in a city of this size. We went for weekend lunch. Pop is slightly overpriced at $3 per can, but at least there is Coke Zero. 

Mishy loved the lemon chicken and chicken stir fry. I also enjoyed both of them and the lemon chicken had a lovely flavour, more than just lemon. General Tso chicken was very good, although it was more like sweet and sour, but was good whatever it was. We both loved the Szechuan beef, and for a more expensive dish like this it was actually excellent, which is impressive. Mishy said the chicken balls were good and they are one of her favourites. I liked them too and they contained plenty of chicken, not just excessive breading. 

Hot and sour soup was not hot nor dark and not like any I've had before, with peas and vegetables and only sour flavour and tofu, but it was still good and it worked. Wonton soup wasn't bad but was nearing the brink of going stale. Stir fried veg was good and also fresh enough. Chow mein was understated but also good and fresh. Fried rice was very good and fresh, classic takeout style. Chop suey was quite good and fresh, which is important as it will go mushy if kept in the tray too long. Chicken wings looked like they would be dried out, but weren't and were actually pretty good. Unfortunately egg foo young was egg foo old and was noticeably stale... at least it was still mostly edible. Unlabelled celery and chicken stir fry was very good, fresh and well-seasoned.

Fries were very good... I like how these restaurants try to do something creative with the fries to make them tastier by adding seasoning. Onion rings were good though a bit dry. Spring rolls were a little low on flavour so may have been a few days old but were not bad.

For dessert, butter flake pastry was a bit stale but still good, similarly sesame ball. Milk flaky cake and mango mousse which I know now to be from King's Pastry of Mississauga were fresh. Vanilla and mango ice creams were very good. Orange and cherry jello were good, but hard to get that wrong. Rice pudding didn't have much seasoning, but did have raisins and most importantly was fresh. Butterscotch and cookies and cream and chocolate and strawberry ice creams once they had melted a bit were pretty good. Weekend lunch is $18. As would be expected from its similarity to other establishments in the area, the shortcomings are made up for by this excellent value (other than the slightly expensive pop.) We did enjoy lunch there.

Rating: 7-7.5 / 10 + 1.5 value adjustment = 8.5-9 / 10