Mandarin - Vaughan (Chinese/Canadian)

Mandarin, or rather this Mandarin, the ninth location of the chain we’ve now reviewed, is at 8787 Weston Road in Vaughan, the municipality bordering the north of Toronto’s west end. We went for weekend dinner, which we usually don’t due to the cost but our other dinner plan didn’t work out and Mandarin was in the area. AYCD pop is $2.50 which is reasonable. It was packed but we still got a seat within five minutes, in contrast to the three to four hours the place we didn’t go to had told us. I sometimes wonder whether it’s worth doing the Mandarins separately as they are supposed to be all the same, but I was glad I did for reasons that will soon be apparent...

Like other locations, sashimi (and sushi) is available, even at lunch. Salmon sashimi was excellent, as was red tuna and surf clam which is a nice addition, and all of them were very fresh. I have not had surf clam sashimi in a while and it's actually better by itself than it is on rice.

Unfortunately there was no grilled steak in the grilling area, it appears that they had run out, or something... I did ask and was advised it would not be appearing. Whatever it was, I've never been to a Mandarin in several years that did not have it, including at lunch since Oshawa stopped cheaping out and included it then. There’s no excuse when we’re paying top dollar for weekend dinner. There was roast turkey as it was close to Thanksgiving, but the portion I was given was about the size of one chicken finger. Mishy said it was very good so at least that made up for the tininess of the portions, but mine was dry. I ended up having a second one later. The turkey gravy was very good and went well with fries and creamy mashed potatoes. Both of us noticed the prime rib was gamey. Sausage and onion stuffing was very good thankfully. Grilled chicken was a remnant so dried up that it crackled. Sausage was somewhat undercooked, and I could tell this even by the appearance before I ate any... this is another first for all the Mandarins I've ever been to. I checked in the Google Maps review for this location, and amazingly the most recent review also noted undercooked sausage, and I ended up with the Aztec Two-Step a few hours later and I blame that. Mishy described the pizza as cold and flavourless compared to other locations.

Mishy loved the chicken balls however, saying that they were full of white meat. Deep fried chicken wings were very good and fresh, which is good as I needed to make up for the lack of turkey.  Mishy described the teriyaki meatballs as fantastic... they were pretty much the same as other Mandarins but they're excellent everywhere, and one of their signature dishes. She indicated the spring rolls were comparable to other places, and I do concur that they weren't exemplary. Hot and sour soup was stale and not as good as other Mandarin locations. Boston clam chowder at least was very good and fresh. Unfortunately to add to the negatives, Mishy said that the lemon chicken was very dry, and usually is doused in sauce, but at least it had plenty of white meat.

Plain noodles were not really plain, but had this odd flavour that both of us noticed and did not like. Baked teriyaki salmon was excellent with a very nice savoury umami overtone, though the sauce was a little too sweet for my taste but I can't fault it for this personal preference. General Tso chicken was pretty good, and black pepper beef was certainly that with plenty of black pepper, but it was enjoyable. 

There were several Moon Festival items I tried. Ginger beef was very good, although understated, but still quite tasty. Sweet and sour fish... well, I don't think these two flavours go together very well, but other people like it so I can't fault it. Whatever it is, it was good enough and fresh. Spicy mango shrimp were quite good. Chicken with kabocha squash was the best of the Moon Festival offerings and one of the better things I had that evening, as the two flavours go together perfectly; this must be a traditional dish. Mishy was not impressed with the butternut squash soup, although I didn't mind it and thought it was quite good.

For dessert, Mishy described the bread pudding as soggy although delicious. Ube (purple yam) vanilla ice cream, which is a Moon Festival special, was excellent with a warm creamy flavour that I enjoyed, contrary to many other “special” items that I find fall flat. Strawberry ice cream was excellent without being freezer-burned, and had large chunks of actual strawberries. Cherry cheesecake ice cream was fantastic and I wish it was available more places. No-sugar-added lemon cake is a new offering and wasn't bad considering. Moon Festival lotus paste cake was good, but had a muted flavour. Mishy couldn’t eat her chocolate fudge cake as she was full, so gave it to me though I never would have picked it... it was improved by the vanilla and strawberry sauces and whipped cream as topping. Coconut macaroon was coconutty and quite good. Crème brûlée was more like custard but still very good. Tiramisu had an excellent flavour like (or was?) amaretto liqueur and I thoroughly enjoyed it, possibly my favourite AYCE tiramisu. Raspberry cheesecake was very good to excellent. The desserts seemed to be better than the actual entrées.

It was $42.99 weekend dinner. I can’t rate on the higher price as practically all the other Mandarins were done on lunch, so to keep it in line with the others I start from the Mandarin baseline of 8.5 / 10. However there were significant shortcomings (and an important missing item) that weigh heavily on this. For an upper-tier location like Vaughan at the most expensive timeframe, this was unacceptable.

Rating: 5 - 5.5 / 10

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