After all these years, a Pepper Lunch inspired restaurant has finally made its way to Markham. Within a week of opening, news traveled fast - everyone must be Pepper Lunch fans! So I made my way here with dad and sis on a Thursday night. We waited for almost an hour for a table - it was packed. While waiting, I thought the white / grey decor looked oddly familiar and turns out I was right - same tables as Dessert Kitchen!



I ordered the Supreme Beef Rice. At first bite, of course it's sizzling hot with peppery taste and I was pleasantly surprised that the sauce was hidden in the middle. But later on, I realized the beef had no taste, only saved a bit by the sweet corn. For $0.50 you can add extra toppings like garlic chips, green onion, corn, cheese, etc. I would suggest them to give more sauce, such as garlic soy sauce, sweet honey sauce, or even hot sauce, or maybe season the beef a bit? As my sister said, for the signature dish, this wasn't memorable enough.

Duck Breast Spaghetti in Tom Yum Sauce

Tried a bit of the Duck Breast Spaghetti in Tom Yum Sauce. I like the creaminess of the sauce, but it was too spicy for me. Now this was more flavorful and special, but probably oily/heavy to finish myself.

For pasta teppan, they have a variety of sauces (cream, tomato, spicy, curry) and protein (chicken, salmon, seafood), as well as topping additions (egg for $1).

Chef's Special Chicken Wings

Cut in half like Greyhound Cafe, these were crispy with a slight sweet honey flavor, but it wasn't spicy. Good :)

Tiramisu in flower pot (Coffee flavor)

Might as well try a dessert item.. just for fun. I think I saw this on HK TV before. Chocolate biscuit/wafer crumbs on top of tiramisu. Not bad; think I ate more of the topping than the cake itself. Not sure how the flavor would compare to original flavor - isn't tiramisu coffee based anyway?

Rose Tia Guanyin Milk Tea - few sips, not bad.

Service: If not for our server K being so friendly, I would've been more frustrated - but a smile and a few words goes a long way! He was pretty nice for talking to us, making recommendations and asked for suggestions/comments, which we gave being the critical foodies we are.

Price: Total was around $40.

Second Visit:

Salmon Pasta in Herb Cream Sauce

Salmon had no taste. Cream sauce was not too heavy, but on the bland side.

Chicken Pasta in Numbing Spice - chicken was tender and flavorful, but pasta was a bit overcooked. Numbing spice was not spicy at all, more like tickling, as B said. In comparison, I found the Tom Yum sauce to be spicier.

Pomelo Chamomile Tea / Lavender Milk Tea

Lavender Milk Tea was refreshing with a light lavender taste, similar to Earl Grey.

They actually have quite an extensive menu - in addition to teppan rice and pasta, there's also Japanese inspired appetizers, drinks, desserts and hot pot.

Overall: Decent food. Long wait (I think they take reservations) but worth to try, especially if you haven't tried PL.