Nak Won Korean Restaurant

Nak Won Korean Restaurant is located at 9625 Yonge St., just n. of 16th Ave. In Richmond Hill, the town that borders Toronto to the north. It's transit accessible on the blue YRT line running from Finch station. We had reviewed another location of Nak Won on Yonge Street, the Kisa discount one. There was also another location in Markham that I had discovered accidentally, but unfortunately never got to visit as it is now permanently closed. We went for weekend lunch. Nak Won has more traditional enclosed booths at the back, which we love. Disposable chopsticks are used unfortunately, so we brought our own as usual. Pop is $3 canned not AYCD, but at least there is Coke Zero. However there is a carafe of barley tea left at the table, which we preferred anyways so we skipped the pop; the tea was excellent, and Mishy loved it so much from Nak Won Kisa that she started making her own. Ordering is through smartphone menu via QR code, so it is essential that at least one per party have a smartphone with data. Be careful as there are two menus, lunch and all-day, and the all-day is $10 more. 

Kimchi had some heat but at least it wasn't persistent and painful, and it was quite good. Corn and cheese was delicious and had plenty of cheese.  Ramyun aka ramen soup was excellent and beautifully seasoned, but beware as it's a large bowl and it was a good thing that we didn't order two... we ended up splitting it. Miso soup was rather mild and had an interesting flavour like zwieback toast. Mishy didn't like it at all saying that it was too watery, but I didn't mind it.

Some banchan items arrived... they weren’t ordered but are delivered nonetheless as a standard part of the meal. Not into the pickles, as they remind me too much of bread-and-butter which I don’t like (kosher dills for me please.) The corn chips(?) were nice as were the spicy pickled radish, possibly kkakdugi which is kimchi radish. I didn’t document and can’t recall what I thought of those juliennned strips, but it wasn’t anything bad. I think Mishy enjoyed the japchae as well.

On to the BBQ, beef bulgogi, thin and thick cut pork belly, pork butt(!), spicy marinated pork and chicken were all excellent especially with the middle sauce which resembles ponzu. Mishy especially enjoyed it and she's usually not as much of a barbecue fan as I am. Even the luncheon meat and sausage were very good to excellent, although Mishy doesn't partake of them.

For dessert, there are only Melona bars, one per customer.  Weekend lunch menu was $32. This is pretty much the standard price these days and considering the time, location and offerings. We certainly  both enjoyed it!

Rating: 9-9.5 / 10 + 0 value adjustment (standard pricing) =  9-9.5 / 10

Daata Grill (Indian/Pakistani)

Daata Grill is located at 585 Ontario Street in Milton, the municipality about 40 km west of Toronto. It offers a weekend brunch buffet. Daata is a smaller place but nicely decorated. Chai is included with brunch, and was delicious... there is also real Splenda rather than cheaper substitutes such as cyclamates available for it.

Mishy raved about the chanay aka chana masala, and saag spinach. I loved the saag as well, as it was just hot enough to be hot but without being painful, and the flavours were blended very well. Omelette is not really an omelette, but instead eggs and onions and peppers, and was very good nonetheless. Halwa was beautifully flavoured, just sweet enough and with plenty of other flavours as well. I absolutely loved the aloo flavouring, which was seasoned I think with parsley and other things and reminded me of chicken soup broth, but Mishy didn't like it at all for some reason.

Nihari which is stewed beef (can also be made with goat or mutton but apparently not here) was phenomenally seasoned and super tender. I don't know how paya tastes as, well... I tried, but it is made of steamed veal feet and it jiggles, and when I pulled it open it was all fat and cartilage so I just couldn't eat it. Perhaps it's excellent, so I won't let it affect the rating, but it’s just not for me. The large oil-fried flatbread was labeled as puri but was probably not that as it was not a ball and also not thin or crunchy. I think it was paratha. Mishy thought it had a fish oil flavour, but I did not notice this and it was pretty good. Naan was delicious although I waited too long and it was cold.

Weekend brunch buffet is $18. It’s a small buffet with not many items, but all of them save the disregarded paya were very good to excellent and made with more costly ingredients (especially the nihari!) For $18 and included excellent beverage this was a phenomenal value.

Rating: 9 / 10 + 2-2.5 value adjustment = 11-11.5 / 10 = 10 / 10

Joy Sushi Bar (Japanese)

Joy Sushi Bar is located at 195 Henry Street in Brantford, about 100km w. of Toronto. Joy Sushi has a nice faux weathered wood interior with contemporary pop music. We went for weekday lunch. AYCD pop, Coke products, is available for $3.25. Reusable chopsticks are used thankfully. Ginger is not dyed pink. Soy at table was salty and not the freshest, but not stale either. There is sashimi on the lunch menu with salmon, red snapper, and crab which is probably surimi! This explains why the weekday lunch is more expensive than expected.

We both enjoyed the miso soup, it was a bit dilute but quite passable and has enoki and green onions. Mishy very much liked the seaweed salad which she described as fresh and sweet. Beef skewers Mishy said were the best she ever had, and for once I can agree with her overenthusiasm because they were like pieces of steak on the skewer, super-moist and smoky and savoury. Beef teriyaki was excellent, but we still preferred the skewers, which is probably a first. Pork belly skewers were slightly gamey but this is expected and the sauce was quite good. Chicken skewers are very good and fresh. BBQ short ribs were delicious and well seasoned. Chicken teriyaki was excellent not rubbery and the sauce is very good. Spring rolls were light and flaky and only slightly oily so were very good. Scallops which would probably surimi or excellent because of the included sauce which seem to be creamy hot honey mustard.

Mango cheese roll worked as a flavour combination, but unfortunately Mishy didn't want to try it. Salmon nigiri was quite good and fresh. Unfortunately the salty soy sauce tended to detract from the flavour. I think that the red snapper sashimi was actually red snapper, or something other than tilapia as it usually is, because it definitely was different than other places, and very fresh. Salmon sashimi, as expected, was excellent and very welcome on the menu. Crab was definitely surimi but at least was quite fresh. Butterfish, which was probably escolar, and red snapper, which was probably tilapia, nigiri were both fresh and good though not exemplary. Surf clam nigiri was very good.

Vegetable and sweet potato tempura was very good, as the sauce was good and it was only slightly oily, and also flaky enough. Beef satay was delicious as the sauce was excellent. Chicken fried rice was very savoury and I enjoyed it, even though I only had it because it was Mishy's leftovers. Chicken udon soup was very good and I enjoyed it as it had a savoury seasoning.

For dessert, Mishy indicated that the custard buns were comparable to other places although there was a little less custard. Vanilla ice cream was halfway to French vanilla and was quite good. Mango ice cream was fantastic. Green tea ice cream was very rich and full of flavour. All the ice creams were fresh and not freezer burned. Mango yogurt shot glasses were delicious and I had two of them. Taro shot glass pudding as expected really didn't have much of a flavour of anything except whipped cream. Cherry Jello shot glass was Jello, so hard to get that wrong. Fried bananas' sauce was alright but there was something off with the banana, either not ripe enough or too ripe; hard to tell because it was cooked. Service was very good with used plates being removed almost immediately. It’s currently $32 for weekday lunch. With the sashimi and quality of the beef offerings this is very good. We had a very good lunch disregarding the minor shortcomings worth the distance.

Rating: 8 - 8.5 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 8.5 – 9 / 10

Mei Mei (Chinese/Canadian)

Mei Mei is located in Peterborough, the small city about 125km NE of Toronto, at 1080 Lansdowne St. W. We went for a weekday lunch. Note that it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays which is not common in Toronto. It had plenty of customers. AYCD pop is $3.25. Interior is bright basic contemporary.

Potato salad was excellent with plenty of dill. Mishy said that the coleslaw was very standard and lacked zip. Neither of us were big on the Thai peanut noodle salad, but it is as it is supposed to be made; the peanut flavour does not seem to go with the rest of it. Macaroni salad was excellent with well-balanced flavours including oregano. Caesar salad had the dressing pre-added, this will eventually make it soggy although this was not the case yet, but there was not enough dressing for my taste; at least it was fresh.

Mishy loved the wonton soup saying it was “wow” and really good and savoury; I found the flavour a bit gamey, and therefore I think they were pork wontons. When I mentioned this to Mishy she realized that she had also not liked this flavour either. Pork shiu mai was a little dried out but still very good. Spring rolls were exactly the same size/flakiness/consistency/flavour as the ones at Loon Ho the day before, and they are both in Peterborough so this indicates they're being purchased from the same supplier. Mishy loved them nonetheless. They weren’t the best I've ever had but still were pretty good. Mishy also loved the chicken balls, which also seem to be like the ones yesterday as they were full of meat rather than breading; they are one of her favourites and she’s mentioned a few times that chicken balls are enough to get her to a buffet.

Egg foo young had shrimp in it, and I'm not sure whether it does usually but Mishy was not big on it, although I found it delicious. Lo mein was delicious due to the savoury seasoning. Shanghai noodles were not bad with a bit of sweetness but quite edible. Torpedo shrimp were dry even though they were just put out; and there is no horseradish & ketchup seafood sauce available. Beef with vegetables was very good with a savoury sauce, fresh and delicious. Tofu with mixed vegetables was the same although I could not find any tofu, but the vegetables were at least quite good. Vegetable chop suey was also delicious with a savoury sauce and fresh, which is important with chop suey as it goes mushy when kept out too long.

Sweet and sour pork was a bit dried out but still quite enjoyable and I liked the ginger in the sauce. Chicken curry’s flavour was a little milder than I'm used to, but it was still quite enjoyable and fresh at least. Singapore vermicelli was almost excellent with plenty of flavour. French fries were basic, probably pre-cut commercial fries, but were still good. Definitely commercial were chicken dino nuggets which are out-of-the-bag available from Maple Leaf or Walmart; they were tasty nonetheless. Honey garlic ribs were pretty good, though as with many other things here a little dry.

For dessert, Mishy noted that the coconut cream pie is definitely commercial as it has the flavour of coconut suntan lotion; I agreed but loved it nonetheless. Chocolate chip scones are as far as I know original and everywhere I have ever eaten, and are quite a good combination. Chocolate chip cookies definitely appear homemade as they are too irregular to be commercial, and too good! They had plenty of chocolate flavour. Small flaky layer pastry was very good. Strawberry matcha ice cream was nothing but remnants at the bottom of the barrel, so I don't know whether the green stuff was the matcha that was supposed to be there or some other flavour mixed in. At least the strawberry part was good. Peach sorbet was just about the best sorbet I ever had, but unfortunately Mishy hates peach so it wasn't mutual; it had actual pieces of peach in it for overpowering wonderful flavour. Vanilla was, well, vanilla. Chocolate was semi-sweet which made it more enjoyable, full of chocolate flavour and excellent. None of the ice creams had freezer burn. Service was very good. Weekday lunch was $20.99 and this is quite a good price. There were numerous minor quibbles but nothing significant out of order, and we did have a enjoyable lunch.

Rating: 7.5 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 8 / 10

Loon Ho Buffet (Chinese)

Loon Ho Buffet is located at 871 Chemong Road in Peterborough, the small city about 125km NE of Toronto. We went for weekday lunch, which was a very nice find from Mishy as our other plan didn’t work out and we weren’t even aware of this place until then. Loon Ho has a basic contemporary interior with a couple of nice decorations such as the front counter area and a traditional carved lantern. There were only a few customers as it was near the end of the lunch period. Pop is $2.75 canned not AYCD.

Sausage was slightly salty but fresh without any rancid oil flavour. Mishy loved the chicken wings and said she's usually not a fan; I liked them as well. The honey garlic wings were quite good. Mishy said the spring rolls were beautiful, full of spicy flavour and flaky on the outside; they were actually quite good. We both noted the chicken balls are full of chicken, rather than breading. Hot and sour soup sadly was too salty to be enjoyable. Wonton soup was quite good with a mild but pleasant chicken stock savour. 

Chicken fried rice was slightly stale but still pretty good, standard takeout-style. Pepper beef was quite good and well-seasoned, as were mixed vegetables which were probably the same dish but just without the beef. Lo mein was fresh, was just put out as we arrived and we both enjoyed it. Chicken chop suey was also fresh, and I was expecting it not to be as it's a common thing for it to go mushy at the smaller lower-traffic buffets, but was pleasantly surprised.

Fried wontons were slightly oily but still good. Fried potato were more like tempura and I enjoyed them. Onion rings were quite enjoyable, and not too oily. Sweet and sour pork didn't have much flavour of other sweet or sour, I can't tell whether they were just stale or it wasn't there in the first place, but at least it was edible.

For dessert, orange sorbet was creamy and Mishy loved it but said that the chocolate and other flavours were very hard to scoop... agreed and it took a lot of strength but was worth it as was amazingly good. Cookies-and-cream, strawberry, butterscotch ripple and tiger tail (yes!) ice cream once melted a little were very good and not freezer-burned. Rice pudding was delicious, although plain without cinnamon or raisins or any other topping. Orange and cherry Jell-O was good, but hard to get that wrong.

Our visit to Loon Ho was quite productive, in that I was finally able to resolve one of my longstanding unknowns: where those little cakes (which I can also now correctly refer to as petit fours cut from sheet/slab cakes) ubiquitous at buffets all over Ontario come from. Note the photo of the fridge with them which also shows two boxes. The logo led me to King’s Pastry of Mississauga, and there were the strawberry, mango and mocha mousse petit fours I most commonly see, plus the tiramisu found at Loon Ho, plus many other pastries I have enjoyed at so many other establishments.

It was $20.99 for weekday lunch. This is a very good price; it filled us up for the day and the offerings, for a smaller local Chinese-style buffet, were better than expected.

Rating: 8 - 8.5 / 10 + 0.5 value adjustment = 8.5 - 9 / 10

Dawat (Afghan/Indian/Pakistani)

Dawat is located at 60 Overlea Blvd. in Toronto’s east central East York borough. Lunch and dinner buffets are offered. Dawat has a pleasant and brighter interior with nice background music; there is also a raised carpeted area for traditional dining. We went for weekday lunch and there were a moderate amount of customers. Pop is $2.50 canned not AYCD, but we stick to water at Middle Eastern places as we’ll inevitably encounter spicy heat that needs a higher volume intake than cans can provide!

Chicken Karahi was delicious and nicely seasoned without being too hot. Mishy said that the chicken tandoori had not been baked long enough in the tandoor, so to her did not have smoky flavour and was just like regular roast chicken with red spice. I tried it and enjoyed it, but it was not like other chicken tandoori, pretty much as Mishy noted. However the butter chicken made up for it and she said it was excellent. Kabuli pulao was delicious, and I think the meat may have actually been mutton minus the gamey flavour, but whatever it was I liked. Mishy she said that the naan bread was too salty; it’s kept out rather than being delivered on demand. Palak (no paneer) we both loved even though it is just spinach as the seasoning was so good and it brought out the flavour very well. Baingan eggplant is one of the first times I enjoyed eggplant without reservation as its flavour is excellent and hides the “eggplantiness”.

 

Veal nihari is a slow-cooked veal stew which has little else in it but veal and gravy, and sadly it was quite delicious... sorry, calves. Tawa keema masala was a bit oily and I think it contains mutton as it is a mixed mincemeat dish, but that is the way it's supposed to be and it was tasty in an exotic way. Chana masala had different flavours than a completely Indian place would have it, and had some afterburn, but was very good. Beef with chickpeas korma was excellent and blended its flavours well. 

I was surprised to find French fries, but I usually am in places that they wouldn't be expected as they are so universal; they were very well-made, seasoned so that they were interesting and not bland. Mishy enjoyed the fish pakora and I did as well as it was well spiced. Samosas are very good, although they probably are from elsewhere in consignment but nevertheless were enjoyable. Chicken biryani was delicious and I enjoyed it very much, it had plenty of nice seasoning and seemed quite traditional. Bhindi, which is an okra-based dish, was quite good and had plenty of okra flavor. Lobia kidney beans are almost like chili... it’s indicated to be cooked with onions and spices, but I could almost taste something tomatoey.

Chicken manchow soup was made very similarly to hot-and-sour soup, but without bamboo or noodles; instead there are chicken pieces and mushrooms, and it was very good. Butter chicken was excellent, comparable to or better than most places, with a little heat and plenty of other flavours. Chicken korma was a fantastic combination of gravy with cardamom and other spices that blended together well. Creamy white chicken was mildly seasoned but nonetheless enjoyable.

For dessert, unfortunately Mishy was not impressed with the gulub jamun indicating that they were cold and soggy even though they were in sauce; I noticed that, unlike at Indian restaurants, they are not heated in a steam tray from beneath, so as she noted it is at room temperature. They were still good, though I agreed not as much as as the Indian heated ones, and one thing lacking is there is no serving spoon in the tray to put honey sauce on one's bowl of gulub jamon with. Rabri kheer is lightly sweetened rice pudding judging by the flavour, with hints of cardamom and other spices, and was very enjoyable. Weekday lunch is $22 and this is very good considering the offerings, minor shortcomings aside. We certainly enjoyed our lunch there.

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