Long Time in Coming

I haven't written for a while. It's kind of hard to keep reviewing the same place over and over again. Although I have eaten at some new places since August!

In news, I'm kind of sad to be forced to stop visiting Dumpling House Restaurant in Toronto due to rats. Despite the fact that they are open again and the health inspector has ok'd everything, I just wouldn't feel right going back there! Once a rat haven, always a rat haven? I don't even feel like I should write a review for it. The dumplings there were so good, but who knows if they were tainted. Yuck!

I may be moving downtown to Toronto soon, so that should open up my experiences and give me some new stuff to write with!

How Axia in Mississauga has progressed over the past couple of months

Axia Restaurant in Mississauga opened fall last year. If you look at ResToronto Reviews, you can see that in the beginning days there have been some service problems. Also, if you look at my previous post you can also see some of the service problems I've personally experienced.

I visited Axia again a weekend ago. So the question is, has the service changed?

My friend and I made reservations for a Saturday night. A couple weeks before that I had tried to get in there on a Saturday and the wait was an hour. I decided better be safe and made the reservation. When we got there there were plenty of seats so reservations weren't necessary.
The most important change is that service has improved. They are more attentive and quicker than they were when I first visited. The waitress was continuously checking up on us to make sure we had everything we needed.
I did have a couple of problems with my drinks however. Other tables were getting ice water to drink but my water was always room temperature. Additionally, the lemon ice tea they advertise is from a can - I don't suggest it!
I had the galbi bbq which was (as always) delicious. The cheques were given quickly, and we were personaly given a mint as we walked out the door!

So I'm happy to report that service has improved immensely.

Lunch at Wangs Kitchen in Mississauga

I got a review on the site for this a while ago and had never even heard of the place even though I drive by the area frequently. Yesterday, I decided to figure out where it was and try it! Wangs Kitchen is a mix of Chinese and Indian food. I would say they specialize in spicy food. Their prices are very good for the quantity of food that you get.
There are only about 6 tables in this restaurant. I'm not too sure how busy things can get but takeout is always an option. There is a lunch menu where you can order a main dish and three sides. I'm not much of a fan of spicy food, but most of the items on their menu are spicy. I think I went for one of the least spicy items - the sweet and sour chicken - and even that had a bit of a kick! First, the soup and the spring rolls were brought out (2 of the 3 items that we chose). The spring roll was yummy, and the soup was a bit too goopey for me. Too much cornstartch. After that the main dish came out. I also had a side of rice, which was tasty. Overall, the food is pretty good. The space is a bit cramped though. The servers are very attentive and want to make sure that you have what you want!

For more reviews of Wangs Kitchen, check out ResToronto Reviews.

Pre-Concert Dinner Downtown Toronto at The Wokker

My friend and I were heading over to the Billy Talent/Alexisonfire/Moneen concert at The Opera House on Queen Street East and needed some food before we went. The restaurants in the area are pretty sketchy looking and we had to choose between The Wokker, and Dangerous Dan's Diner. Both looked very suspect, but there was no where else to go. We ended up at The Wokker. We figured it was ok since there were about 3 other tables worth of patrons in there, and people getting take out. Power in numbers!
It's a very small place, only about 7 tables and a bar area in the entire restaurant. We were seated quickly and given a much larger menu than expected from such a small place. The seats are gross. You sink into them when you sit down and there are weird stains all over them. All menu items are very cheap. If you order a dinner, you can get a won ton soup for 95 cents! You just can't beat that kind of deal (unless you get food poisoning or something).
I ordered won ton soup, an egg roll, and cantonese chow mein (plus a pop). My friend ordered the egg roll, chicken curry, and a drink as well. The food arrived fairly quickly. I got my soup and egg roll. The soup was yummy, as was the egg roll! And the main courses were fairly tastey as well. Much more food than I could finish. I was offered a doggy bag, but those aren't too good for concerts so I couldn't take it home.
The best part of the meal was the price. All that food for only $14! So there you go, sometimes the sketchy places turn out to be pretty good.

Happy Court in Mississauga - again!

We wanted a simple dinner last night. We've been so busy with the holiday season we just wanted something simple. So we went to the local Chinese buffet joint. For anyone looking for a place to eat during Christmas day - HAPPY COURT IS OPEN ON CHRISTMAS DAY!
Anyways, the buffet, as usual, was fairly good. It's not the best chinese food you're going to find, but it's good enough for a local place. It wasn't that full, perhaps because everyone is out for the holiday season. I wasn't that hungry but I really enjoy their won ton soup so I had a cup of that. They have an ok selection of Chinese and "Canadian" food. I like their sweet and sour pork and their egg rolls. They also have take out for anything on the buffet so for those that want to take out here, that's a good option.
For more reviews on Happy Court, see ResToronto Reviews for Happy Court.

Emerald Chinese Restaurant - Dim Sum in Mississauga

I went out last week for dim sum - the day when it was raining like crazy - with my mom. We usually don't head out for lunch until about 1pm, but we went out early this time, and thank goodness we did. We went to Emerald Chinese Restaurant north east of Square One in Mississauga, and only about 15-20 minutes after we walked in, the place was full! We were seated very quickly and the food arrived right away. The place doesn't look the cleanest, but I tried to put that out of my mind. It's essentially a huge dining room, with a bar on one side, and all the tables on another.

I did notice, however, that we were seated in the Non-Asian section! Is this because the servers would know they have to speak English instead of Cantonese or Mandarin to us? I didn't get it. Why couldn't we go sit with the Asian people?

As for the servers themselves, you have to make sure you stop them to tell you what the food is. Not all of them are English speaking so it's a little difficult. But if it looks yummy, we snatched it!

Anyways, there was a great selection of food brought out. I tried some things I don't even really know what they were called! Some weren't to my tastes, but it was interesting to try new things. I think my favourites were the shrimp dumplings. Those were awesome. They had pork short ribs and spring rolls which were also very tasty. If you like any type of authentic Chinese food, you should like this place. It was pretty reasonably prices as well.

I would go back, as soon as my belt line recovers!!

For more reviews on Emerald Chinese Restaurant, see ResToronto Reviews for Emerald Chinese Restaurant.

Axia in Mississauga, Take 2

Unless I've had a really bad experience, I'm usually willing to get restaurants a second chance. It's not really like this one NEEDED it, as I probably would have gone back anyways. It's just that in the previous visit, the restaurant was a bit... raw I guess is the best way to describe it. Axia had just opened and it was obvious a few kinks needed to be worked out. This time round? Much better!
I brough my boyfriend this time, who is part Korean, and told him to decide what to order for us off the Korean section of the menu. I had some Green Tea, and he had a soda. Delicious tea, but lots of leftover leaves in the bottom (that's been happening to me a lot at home these days too and it drives me nuts!). However, major improvement #1 because last time we went, the tea came after the meal! Since the menu is so large, it took us about 5-10 minutes to figure out what we wanted. Our waiter came back 3 times to ask if we were ready. It didn't bother me, but I think it bothered my boyfriend. Once we had finally decided, we ordered, and our waiter actually asked if we wanted our appetizer with the meal or before hand! Major improvement #2! The mandu dumplings were delicious!! Yum Yum, I'm drooling just thinking about them. Our meals were also brought together - major improvement #3! My boyfriend ordered Bulgogi and I ordered Galbi. They were all brought at the same time, with the sides and the rice! My Galbi was delicious! I tried my boyfriend's Bulgogi, which was good, but no where near as good as my Galbi! Yummy again!
Still, this is an expensive place to eat. Lunch cost us (including tip) $45. Steep price! I think they should lower the price of the appetizers, because they're just as pricey as the main courses, so it's like eating for 3 if 2 people share an appetizer. They've done well in the month or two they've been open!

For more reviews on Axia, see ResToronto Reviews of Axia.

Lunch in Buffalo on Thursday, Dinner in Mississauga on Saturday

My mom and I took a trip down to Buffalo, New York on Thursday for some shopping and mailling. In the Wallden Galleria, we decided to try our luck at the restaurant Ruby Tuesday. I'm actually surprised that this restaurant hasn't found its way into Canada given the success of Kelsey's and other similar type restaurants. This place had the fastest service I've had for a long time! I went to the washroom before sitting down, and by the time I had returned, there was already a drink waiting for me at the table. Our waitress was fast throughout the whole meal. There was a lot to choose from on the menu, including a very extensive burger list (I guess burgers are their specialty?).
I had the chicken BLT burger and I was content with it. It was tasty, and of course, arrived very quickly. Before we were even fully finished, our waitress left the bill on our table. Quick quick quick!! Top marks for service at this restaurant!

Then on Saturday, we went to another family favourite, Happy Court. While not the more visually appealing restaurant, it's very consistent. The food is always the same, and so is the service. I enjoy their won-ton soup and that's always my first stop at their buffet. This visit I noticed some new items in their buffet, so it's nice to see them trying new things. Specifically the tiramisu dessert, that was great! I've never paid the bill there so I'm not too sure about its value in proportion to the food.
For more reviews of Happy Court, see ResToronto Reviews for Happy Court.