Lucky House (Chinese)

Lucky House has been for a long time at 304 Richmond St. W., near John St. in downtown Toronto, but just recently added an AYCE menu (possibly due to the closure of the Yonge/Eglinton Mandarin?) It really is/was a house, a rarity nowadays in that area, and such a skinny one it’s my my first portrait-oriented exterior shot. It's $36 for lunch on weekends but $30 for dinner Mon.-Thurs. It's a sit-down rather than buffet, which was unexpected, and ordering is old-school onto paper templates. Pop is canned $2.50 each not AYCD. Has a bright interior with Chinese music atmosphere; Mishy said it was very pretty. We were the only customers when we arrived possibly because it was just before the Easter weekend and the two more singles who showed up stayed at the front to pick up take-out. Reusable chopsticks are included in the utensils, happily. There is white pepper at 

The important caveat for Lucky House is: don’t overdo that first order! Beware as the portion sizes are (much) larger than one may be used to from other places, as would be expected from a non-AYCE that just branched out. For example, the wonton soup was in a full-sized bowl between two and three times the volume of soups at most Japanese AYCEs, but it was fantastic as Mishy and I both noted. Hot and sour soup was equally large and equally excellent, best-of-breed at least for AYCEs I've ever been to. Sweet and sour chicken (also twice the size) was also fantastic, as we again both noted, and seemed better than Mandarin’s.

Mishy didn't like the breading on the sweet-and-sour chicken balls (four per order but very large, the size of Mandarin oranges) but I think that this is how it is done traditionally; it's thick, heavier, darker and baked, but has a nice flavour. Chicken fried rice was quite good although muted, but became even better with the wonderful soy sauce which we both loved and was fresh and flavourful and not too salty. Chicken wings took a while to arrive but were worth the wait as they were quite tasty and I enjoyed the seasoning.

There are no desserts per se, but there are sesame balls with red bean filling which are pretty close to being one. The weekday dinner price is lower than expected for the offerings/locations, but is pretty much exactly offset by the higher-than-expected weekend lunch price. Unfortunately I didn’t get to try many of the available dishes I would have wanted to due to the portion sizes; I prefer self-service buffets for this as then I can regulate them myself and avoid large quantities of offerings I don’t enjoy. Happily I enjoyed everything here I was able to try.

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

Niku Niku AYCE BBQ (Japanese/Korean)

Niku Niku is located at 46 James St. N. in downtown Hamilton, about 65km w. of Toronto. It’s currently $39 weekend all-day price. There's also a reduced weekday lunch menu for $30, but we would be unlikely to get there for that timeframe. There is a 90-minute dining limit and unlike some places there's actually a timer running on the iPad menu to enforce it but we didn’t have any issue of running out. The waiter indicated that this is not a hard-and-fast but we’d not like to test that. There are also rectangles of fat to smear on the grill to prevent things from sticking. The grills are very solid. Has a darker interior with modern music. Unfortunately, disposable chopsticks are included, so we brought our own as always. Soy-based sauce at table is excellent, flavourful, somewhat sweet and very fresh.

We both loved the miso soup as it was very rich and flavourful and savoury without any dilution. Sweet and sour, and General Tao chicken seemed to use the same sauce, but were both very good. Mishy said that the pickled radish could have used a little more vinegar and I tend to agree. She also complained about the wontons saying that they were skimpy on cheese, and I tend to agree on this as well. The pork gyoza/dumplings were delicious and well-filled. Mishy did not like the bibimbap and I initially was not sure why because it wasn't any worse than other places, however she’d unintentionally had originally tried my seaweed bibimbap, however she then didn't even like the regular one.

The so-called umami bean sprouts were actually terrible. Both of us noticed and we couldn't tell whether it was that they had gone off, or just that the seasoning was awful. They were even really hot and burned my mouth as well as having this terrible flavour combination. I could have eaten a dozen bowls of Gyubee’s before I could finish one here. Kimchi also had this awful, cumulative heat that isn’t noticed at first, and I was in agony and lightheaded from pain endorphins for several minutes after eating it... not a pleasant experience! I know this isn't a requirement, as other places’ kimchi isn't like this. Umami cucumbers at least didn't have the horrid heat, but they were a bit salty.

Chicken wings are half-wings and because of this dry out a little easier so they were dry but still tasty. We both enjoyed the chicken cutlet and I was surprised that Mishy even tried it, but I waited too long and mine was cold. Shrimp and yam tempura were quite good although a bit oily but I didn't mind and the sauce well was good.

Finally on to the barbecue, beef short ribs were delicious and well-seasoned. There are thirteen varieties of beef, so it was difficult to keep them all separate but they were all great especially the miso varieties. I also really liked the finger beef which, contrary to how it sounds, is merely finger-shaped and was delicious cylinders of steak. Chicken scallion was excellent and we both loved it and commented on this.

Beware the rolls as they have eight pieces so you may get more than expected. Because of this we only ordered one which was a mango roll. It included ginger, which was not dyed pink. It was actually very good, almost unexpectedly so... I guess the “umami” bean sprouts and kimchi had lowered my expectations.

For dessert, single Melona bars are available, plus an assortment of puddings and rice cakes. I was too full for the rice cakes but tried everything else. The Melona strawberry bar was of course excellent, but we can't really count that as it's not made here. Coffee pudding was quite good and at least it didn't have any heat. Mango pudding was good although not much mango flavour but at least the rest of it was tasty. I’d like to say it was an enjoyable lunch but those two noted items ruined it; nothing else was bad although there was some “meh”. Considering this it’s also for the items about $5 more than it should be. I wouldn’t be averse to returning, but avoiding those two items.

Rating: 8 / 10 - 1 value adjustment = 7 / 10

Maki Zushi (Japanese)

We were last here a dozen years ago (wow!) so high time for an updated review... Maki Zushi is still located at 15 Ringwood Drive in Stouffville, which is about 15 km north of Toronto's east borough of Scarborough. It’s $30 for weekend lunch, but we were too late for that so opted for the $43 dinner. Reusable chopsticks are used thankfully, as well as iPad menus. Ginger is not dyed pink. AYCD pop is $2.95. Soy at table was fresh, savoury and not salty. The interior remains modern, brighter and more open decor. There were plenty of patrons even for the expensive dinner.

We both adored the excellent miso soup, with a strong flavour not diluted at all, very savoury and full of umami, and slightly darker. Green salad had Thousand Islands dressing although at least it was fresh. Hot and sour soup was much different than most places has; was thinner and had deep fried tofu cubes, white and enoki mushrooms, but it was a nice variation and it was delicious. Chicken teriyaki was delicious, and not rubbery, according to me at least. Beef teriyaki was very good although not the best cut, but the sauce was delicious, and Mishy said the cut was amazing so I defer to her... the teriyaki sauce made it. Chicken curry was green Thai style and was excellent.

Bacon-wrapped asparagus was very good of course... Bacon! Beef rolls with enoki mushrooms were better than I expected; I’m usually not much of a fan. Beef short ribs were excellent and well-cooked and seasoned. But the beef/steak sashimi was the best of them and I could have eaten it the whole meal it was so tasty... Beef tataki was absolutely wonderful and I thought it was among the best. Pork shiu mai was served without sauce but this was okay as it didn't really need it... was quite good.

Philly roll and spicy salmon roll were both excellent and Mishy noted that they did not fall apart as other places’ do. Salmon sashimi was fantastic, very fresh, thickly cut and delicious. Surf clam sashimi was probably the best surf clam I've had, as it was the freshest and had the best colouration, bright and not faded. Ika sashimi which is either squid or cuttlefish was surprisingly good and I loved it. Tomago egg and red snapper (probably tilapia) were also very good. Salmon pressed sushi aka oishizushi had a hint of torching and we both loved it as the flavours blended together very well. The torched sushi set was fantastic and torching really brought out the flavour. Mishy wasn’t big on the salmon tartare which includes tempura-fried blue corn nachos, but I didn’t mind it.

For dessert, strawberry yogurt and mango pudding was excellent. Mango ice cream was good and not freezer burnt, though the flavor was not intense. Green tea ice cream was good, but strawberry ice cream was excellent with a very good flavour. Crème brûlée was quite good. We both loved the tiramisu. We all loved the dinner, memorably so. It was a bit more than the average for the area but still worth it.

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

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Original review follows:

Maki "Zushi" is located at 15 Ringwood Drive, at the eastern end of Stouffville on Main St. at the location of a former Burger King. It's easy to find, in contrast to its previous incarnation: Fujiyama, which was hidden by the GO tracks and thus closed. I'd eaten there and found it to be amazingly good, so when I returned with friends I was very sad that it was gone, and understandably ecstatic when I found that Maki had been opened by the same owners as Fujiyama.

I wasn't disappointed. I've seen a lot of negative reviews of Maki around the web, and, honestly, I think the reviewers were there when it had just opened and the bugs were being worked out. The tempura wasn't greasy, the service wasn't slow, and they weren't out of anything on the menu.

Instead, I was treated to one of the best Japanese AYCE meals I've ever had. Everything was just about perfect, from the savoury miso soup, to the fresh sashimi with a hint of lemon, to the light and flaky tempura. The atmosphere was a bit noisy, yet, because the place was packed! Word obviously got around that Maki is a great place to eat, and, unexpectedly so for a small town like Stouffville, better than almost all of its equivalents in nearby Toronto.

Some other highlights include:

- Delicious bacon-wrapped asparagus. Never had this before, and I love both of them, even more so together I found. I ended up eating three portions.

- Cheese dumplings. Watch out... very hot inside! Poke them with a chopstick and let them cool off for a minute or two. But the sever burning the roof of my mouth received didn't stop me from ordering seconds, so they must be good.

- Avocado rolls. Absolutely the  best I've had of these and we couldn't get enough of them.

- Beef teriyaki. Deliciously savoury and perfectly cooked.

The service was excellent, fast and (important for AYCE) accurate. Everything we ordered ended up arriving as requested. Given that the place was packed, this was beyond expectations.

Price is $20.99 for dinner, which for the quality is excellent. I have no reservations giving Maki 10/10, and I'll definitely be returning.

Sapporo Sushi (Japanese)

Sapporo is still located at 96 Main St. E. in downtown Hamilton, the city about 100km SW of Toronto. We walked from the not-too-far West Harbour GO train station so it’s transit-accessible. Has it really been 12 years since we've last been here? Appears that way, so it's time for a revisit and new review! AYCD pop $2 though only Pepsi, but I still enjoyed as it was not diluted. iPad menus are used. Ginger is not dyed pink. Soy at table was very fresh, flavourful and savoury, and not salty. Disposable chopsticks are used unfortunately, so we brought our own as always. We went for weekend lunch.

Mishy loved the seaweed salad saying it was nicely chilled and tasted really fresh, and was not overly acidic as it often is. Green salad was very fresh, but plain with Thousand islands dressing. We both loved the miso soup even though it had enoki mushrooms in there, very savoury while not overpowering. My initial hot and sour soup was missed so I asked about it an a hour later and finally got it; it was very good, though not sour but had a rich beefy flavour and not too much heat. Worth the wait!

Mishy described the sirloin steak teriyaki as cooked to perfection, and I agree it was excellent. The chicken teriyaki was fantastic with a very good sauce, and smoky. Beef short rib was excellent, cooked very well and in a very good sauce. Chicken skewers were excellent, moist, flavourful, tender and also with an excellent sauce, not dried at all. Sadly, we were not overly impressed with the teppan sirloin steak with garlic, as it did not have a lot of flavour and Mishy said it tasted like liver. Not sure about that, but the flavour definitely wasn't what I expected and was very bland.

Chicken fried rice was absolutely delicious especially with a touch of soy sauce, as it had green onions and corn and very nice seasoning. Deep fried breaded shrimp were delicious especially with the included sauce. Vegetable and shrimp tempura were both excellent; the shrimp was very light and flaky and the sauce was delicious and added to both nicely. We both enjoyed the teppanyaki dumplings.

Surf clam nigiri was very good, very fresh and went very well with the soy and my brought-in wasabi. Happily they have Mishy's favourite, which is salmon rose, on the lunch menu, and it was fantastic and we both loved it. Tomago nigiri was certainly good and very fresh, as was salmon and crab (probably surimi) nigiri.

For dessert, Mishy said the sweet buns were okay although they did not have any filling and she is used to it. We both loved the banana tempura. Sesame balls were quite good. Mishy raved about the ice creams saying they were all excellent with strong and very good flavours. Strawberry was certainly like that. Mango had a wonderful and unique flavour like orange. Chocolate was intense and full of lovely bitter chocolate notes and richness. Vanilla is French vanilla which I prefer, and was very good, as was the rich and flavourful green tea. I wish they were all like this everywhere, and no trace of freezer burn on any. Whoever the ice cream supplier is is just about the best. It’s $28.99 for weekend lunch. This along with the AYCD pop price is pretty much standard for the time and place. With a couple of minor exceptions we certainly enjoyed our lunch.

Rating: 8.5 / 10 + 0 value adjustment (standard pricing) = 8.5 / 10

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Our original review is below:

Sapporo is located in Hamilton at 96 Main Street (e of John Street S). The interior isn't bad though a bit dark, and the writeups I've seen on it, seem to peg  it as the best Japanese AYCE in Hamilton, or close to it, but my experience wasn't exactly that.

We almost didn't go there at all.  

We had initially stopped off at Spring Sushi, in a suburban area of Hamilton, but the $16.99 price for lunch sent us looking for alternatives. 

Sapporo was the one I found, but that $3 difference says something to me I don't hear often, having had good luck with AYCE: You get what you pay for.My first impression while waiting for the meal was not a good one, as the green tea was weak. This is the least  expensive component of the meal so there's little reason to skimp on it. I'm used to the usually weaker Japanese style of tea but in this case it was little more than hot water.Salad was crisp, but the dressing was (like the last place I reviewed) too close to Thousand Islands... this is another mystery to me as I can knock off a passable Japanese-style dressing at home with little more than wasabi paste, vegetable oil, rice vinegar and soy sauce. Miso soup was missing savour and had a vegetable floating around in it that standard miso soup doesn't... I only had one bowl which is totally unlike me. My next bowl of soup was wonton, but I though I'd misordered at first as it was too much like udon, practically indistinguishably.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, the good stuff: chicken teriyaki was tasty and the sauce was good. Although ordering the beef roll with green onions was accidental, I didn't mind it and it was flavourful; not completely to my taste but some quite enjoy it. Sapporo has numerous special rolls for different occasions/themes, and I tried the Red Dragon Roll, which is a large rice roll topped with salmon and well-placed shrimp... I liked it a lot, so I would recommend to try the other special rolls as they seemed equally appetizing. The salmon sushi was acceptably good.

However, my favorite part of the meal was when it was over... not to say I didn't like it, but the ice cream was fantastic. I had the mango, and it must have been just-received and was the tastiest I've ever had.

So, although there were a few letdowns, there were still other things at Sapporo that made up for them, so all in all it wasn't a bad experience. However I'm focusing on my own cooking now (as can be seen where I am able to see the flaws in commercial cuisine my having made the same) so I'll probably be taking a break from AYCE reviews for a little while.

Rating: 7 – 7.5 / 10