Location: Hwy 7 & Kennedy, Richmond Hill
Date of visit: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 (Dinner)

I love all kind of noodle soup and pho is definitely one of them. Xe Lua (both Chinatown and Markham locations) is not the one I usually go though because I don’t really like the pho noodle they use. Instead of using the authentic Vietnamese noodle which should be more chewy, they use the regular rice noodle. Anyway, I ordered the curry chicken pho ($5.50) this time and my husband ordered the house special beef pho ($5.50).

My curry chicken pho was pretty good with lots of chicken and potatoes. The broth was very spicy and tasty, but very greasy. The beef pho was so-so accordingly to my husband. We also shared the shrimp and noodle salad rolls with hoisin and peanut sauce. The shrimps were very tiny.

Next time I think I will go back to Pho 88 (Steeles & McCowan) or VIP Vietnamese Restaurant (First Markham Place). Their pho is much better .

Location: Hwy 7 & Leslie Street, Richmond Hill
Date of visit: Thursday, December 6, 2007 (Dinner)

I went to this upscale Italian restaurant for Christmas dinner with a party of 13. They have coat check which is a good thing especially here in Canada. You definitely don’t want to hold onto your bulky long coat all night long. Surprisingly the restaurant was pretty empty and most restaurants should be packed in December with Christmas dinners etc. Anyway, I began with a virgin caesar and my husband ordered a glass of red wine (but it only came as 1/3 full) and we shared a crab cake salad as appetizer, which was pretty tasty.

When we all finished our appetizers and wanted to order our main courses, our server who looks like a high school teenager was no where to be found. I finally ordered a veal scallopini with grilled vegetables ($25) and my husband ordered a striploin steak with mashed potatoes ($35). The service was extremely slow. We were all very hungry and finished all the breads and crumbs (they only brought us 2 baskets). There was no refill but only empty baskets sitting on our table all night long for no reason.

Thank God, our main courses finally came. Well, they came but you still needed to look for them on the table. The servers didn’t know who ordered what and they just put the plates randomly on the table. I finally found my veal with someone who is a vegetarian but I got no knife sigh. Anyway, my veal scallopini was supposed to be medium rare but it was very dry, and my husband’s steak was… okay. A steak that costs $35 was just okay. Oh well! There was live entertainment as well but the music was kind of lame and loud. The ladies room was quite disgusting and totally unacceptable with a restaurant that charges $30 bucks for a dish. We also lacked of table space because empty baskets, menus, empty plates and bottles were never taken away. For dessert I ordered a tiramisu. Fortunately the dessert saved the day. It was good.

Overall the food was acceptable but totally not worth the price. The service was BAD. I will never go back. And whoever wants to go, please, save your money and go elsewhere.

Location: Yonge & Adelaide, Toronto
Date of visit: Monday, December 3, 2007 (Lunch)
Ninki is a cute little Japanese restaurant right at the downtown core with a very reasonable price menu. When you walk in, you are always greeted by smily faces and you’d just feel like home. Two of my co-workers ordered the Bento Box ($12) with salmon sashimi, tempura, beef/salmon/chicken teriyaki, salmon and cucumber sushi rolls, rice, miso soup and salad. Another co-worker ordered a tempura udon and California rolls. I, as usual, order the salmon salad rolls and unagi sushi (they, as usual, run out of my favourite uni sushi). The food are big in portion, good, yet not extraordinary. (If you want extraordinary sushi, please go to Nami or Ki instead for triple the price). We were all full after the meal but one of my co-workers decided to have dessert. Well, girls always have room for desserts and I ordered a fried green tea ice-cream with whipped cream ($6). It took a bit long but it is totally worth the wait. My mouth is watery now when I am thinking of the fried ice-cream. I want fried ice-cream…. I want fried ice-cream….

Location: Eaton Centre, Toronto
Date of visit: Friday, November 30, 2007 (Lunch)

We didn’t make reservation and by the time we got there, we saw a line up of people waiting for their tables. Since we had to make it back to the office within one-hour lunch, we didn’t wait but went to the “bar” side of the restaurant instead.

This was like my 6th or 7th time to this restaurant and my overall impression before was just so-so. However, I realized the decoration is somehow different this time and I was told that the restaurant had a makeover with the famous Design Inc.’s Sarah Richardson.

My friends both ordered the lunch combo with pasta and soup and they looked pretty good. I tried their gnocchi with cream sauce before but it was way too heavy for me. I usually have their steamed mussels with tomato sauce and fries. For spending around $10 bucks you can get lots of mussels and fries. What a great deal! However, I felt like having something light this time and I just ordered a pan-seared tuna salad with sesame-miso dressing for $14.99. When the salad came, I was surprised to see cold noodle in the bowl. It also came with avocado, mushroom and mixed greens. Wow, I can tell you, that was a great salad. (If you like salad, Lettuce Eatery is another good choice) The dressing brought out the freshness of the sushi grade pan-seared tuna and it went so well with the noodle and veggies. I was so impressed. The portion was actually pretty big but I finished it all. Now I know whenever I am craving for salad, Mr. Greenjeans is the place to go.

Tips: You can always find a 15% discount coupon for Mr. Greenjeans at http://www.fabuloussavings.com

Location: Queen & Jarvis, Toronto
Date of visit: Friday, November 23, 2007 (Lunch)

I’ve heard many good things about this upscale fine dining restaurant and I finally got a chance to try it out with my boss and my manager at a business lunch.

After we walked through the front antique doors, we were already attracted by its elegant yet warm decoration. Unlike other normal menus, this restaurant offers a four-course lunch menu with 5 options from each category. My manager began with a lobster soup which seemed to be very creamy and tasty. Both my boss and I picked the scallop salad instead with grapefruits and oranges. The scallops were big and fresh and cut into very thin slices. Unfortunately the grapefruits and oranges were too overpowering and kind of ruined the taste of the scallops. I decided to enjoy the scallops after I finished all the fruits. For the second course I had a ricotti gnocchi with bacon and a cream sauce and it was to die for. My manager had a chicken and cheese club sandwich and my boss had a pasta. For the third course I had sauteed shrimps which just tasted like fried shrimps you can get from anywhere. For dessert I had a egg white custard which tasted exactly like a normal creme brulee. No surprise.

Overall it was a good experience. The atmosphere and the service were good. I always watch my diet but I finished everything on my plates as well as the glass of red wine. Well, the portion was pretty small. It is good if you want to try more dishes in one meal and you are not the one who pays :P