Han Ba Tang is a great place if you want Korean food without having to order large portions of the traditional pork bone soup. I came here for the second time with my parents since we were in the area and I’m glad they enjoyed it.

We shared:
Spicy Pork Tacos (not pictured, first post here) –different from the first time I had it, this time was filled with pork but lacking the mayo and coleslaw I like.

Seafood Soup with Ramen – good and filling

Spoon Pizza – mashed potato with tomato sauce, vegetables (mushroom, green pepper), topped with cheese. I love how natural the potatoes taste – not too heavy or creamy. Choice of bacon or kimchi – I chose kimchi, which comes on the side. I like the kimchi here - crisp and not too spicy.

Kalbi – (for my dad) tender, flavorful and bite-size boneless pieces.

My favorites here are Seafood Soup with Ramen and Spoon Pizza.

For my birthday this year, my family & I went to Origin North. A trendy space (like a more upscale version of Joey) that serves Asian Fusion dishes good for sharing.


Bangkok Beef Salad - peanut, mint, mango, glass noodles, nam jim dressing
- A light dish to start with. I like the beef in the dressing.


Japanese Tuna Salad - asian pear, avocado, spicy ponzu
- Description from the website but not sure I had Asian pear in mine. Another light dish with some seaweed, cucumber and crispy rice. I prefer the beef salad.


Thai Curried Shrimp + naan bread
- Mmm I love the soft and warm naan!
- Curry was flavorful with hints of coconut, sweetness and spice
- Shrimp was big and nicely cooked; chickpeas and zucchini also in the curry


Origin Burger - smoked mayonnaise, avocado, arugula
- Very big, thick burger, not oily
- Love the fries! It has that burnt/oil flavor vs the fluffy, starchy type fries.




Rigatoni - ricotta, squash, sage, hazelnuts
- Yet another light, mild dish despite being pasta. The sauce is just a very light oil based sauce, with tiny bits of squash.
- I liked the touch of hazelnuts and ricotto cheese to give it more flavor.
- The pasta itself is al dente and very big, making it a bit difficult to chew!

 
They generously gave me complimentary dessert for my birthday! The candle came in a bowl of coffee beans to give that nice aroma.


Chocolate Crunch Bar + huckleberry sorbet
- My complimentary dessert which ended up being the best of the night! I was skeptical reading the "chocolate bar" on the menu, but it was a decadent, full flavor chocolate, almost like a mousse but more dense. Huckleberry sorbet gave it a nice berry freshness.

Overall, I had a good dining experience at Origin. The ambiance was intimate and good for special occassions and group gatherings. The food wasn't anything out of this world, but still good.

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 :)

392 Queen West

I finally tried Banh Mi Boys last week! I don't even like banh mi, but Banh Mi Boys definitely takes the meaning of the cold Vietnamese sandwich to a whole other level, throwing in other Asian influences as well.

By recommendation, we got the Kalbi Banh Mi - the kalbi was so good, I love the flavor, texture and cut of the beef. It went well with the baguette, cold toppings and medium hot sauce.

Pork Belly Bao (left) - I love this soft bun with a touch of sweetness! While the pork belly was not as soft or fatty/melt-in-you-mouth as I imagined, the flavor of the pork was good (a bit burnt on the edges) and paired with the cucumber, carrots, radish(?) and cilantro.

Beef Cheek Bao (right) - the beef cheek is sort of like Taiwanese beef brisket. It was good but definitely I like pork belly more in terms of overall flavor and how it tied together with other ingredients as a whole.



Kimchi Fries - I'm a huge fries addict..and I dug right into this! The fries are so good and hot (temperature wise) on the inside!!  A slight crisp with some skin left on. Paired well with the mayo and green onions.. There's also pulled pork and cold spicy kimchi.

Our filling & flavorful meal :D Total bill: ~$20 My favorite was the kalbi, the bao, and the kimchi fries. I will be back!

Greyhound Cafe ~ Life is a journey, full of pictures, places, stories and good tasting recipes.  
I just love this concept and was really eager to try the famous chicken wings and extensive selection of desserts. There are many branches across Bangkok (and Hong Kong) but the closest one to me was the sister brand - Another Hound Cafe at Siam Paragon. "Chic and glam Asian-Italian" food and ambiance.

 Love potato wedges and dip.

 Their famous chicken wings cut in half with the bone removed.




Risotto


Waffles with flambeed bananas and vanilla bean icecream.

"Seoul street food meets Tokyo grill"

Kimchi Fries

Seafood Miso Chowder

Forgot the name of this, but it's one of the rotating monthly skewers specials made by guest chefs (this one by Fidel Gastro?) Bacon wrapped beef.. naturally salty and charred with a bit of sweet sauce.

Bulgogi Cheeseburger

Total was ~$17 per person. Wanted to try the squash dubbokki but it was sold out :(



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Okonomiyaki Fries ($8)

Definitely good for fries lovers! The fries taste like New York Fries fries with some potato skin left on and I like the sauce and Japanese mayo. Could use more bonito flakes though.

Nori Fries ($6)

I like this one too 'cause you can taste the subtle wafu dressing and seaweed flavor in the fries and it's bit oilier than the okonomiyaki fries.

Soup of the day (potato) with crispy croutons ($4 or $3 w the pasta on weekends)

Homemade soup in a mug~ how cute.

Shoyu Mushroom Wafu (和風) Pasta ($11)

This was surprisingly good. The pasta was al dente and the combination of sweet shoyu (soy sauce), nori and three types of mushrooms (enoki, king oyster) was flavorful and light. The garlic bread was lightly toasted. I'm glad we shared this amongst the three of us 'cause the fries was really filling.

The pastas are quite pricey (around $11-$20). They don't have lunch menu on weekends, but on weekdays you can get a combo with pasta, soup, salad and dessert.

Overall, the fries were my favorite!