Golden Horse

Ever since coming back from Hong Kong last year, my fascination with Hong Kong style cafe foods has started to grow.  The food is usually decent, nothing over the top of fancy, but the price is always good with good sized portions too.  I typically go to this style of cafe for breakfast because I like the breakfast combo sets.  I lie, I actually just go because of the egg sandwiches included in the sets.  These sets usually cost $5 or less and either comes with a main such as pork and preserved vegetable vermicelli, or spam and egg instant noodles, a side of condensed milk toast or egg sandwich and a drink such as milk tea, coffee, horicks etc.  So much cheaper than a traditional type western breakfast.

This time, we went to Golden Horse, a HK/Macau style cafe, for dinner.  The dinner specials averaged around $9.99 and came with tomato soup or soup of the day and a hot drink.  Three of our friends ordered from the dinner special menu, seafood fried rice, smoked salmon on rice with white cream sauce and chicken filet and gravy on spaghetti.  I forgot to take a picture of the spaghetti since it came so much later than rest of the other meals.  The seafood fried rice was pretty good, not greasy, and flavorful.  The smoke salmon rice was just ok. 

Seafood Fried Rice

Smoked Salmon Rice

The rest of us ordered off the normal menu, beef brisket noodle 'buddies' style, baked porkchop rice, and beef and vegetable fried noodle.  I wish I was able to enjoy my meal more, but my stomach was hurting so much that night.  My stomach pains usually occur when I have had coffee during the day and had to wait too long for food.  From the little bit that I did eat, I enjoyed the noodles buddies style.  The broth was thick, rich in beef and pickled bamboo flavor, so it was a bit tart/sour.  The brisket was nice and tender.  My friend complained that his beef and vegetable fried noodle was very salty.  But he continued eating because he was starving.  The baked porkchop rice was ok, but the sauce was missing something.  Needs some improvement. 

Beef Brisket Noodles Buddies Style

Beef & Vegetable Fried Noodle

Baked Porkchop Rice

I almost forgot, but we also ordered a porkchop bun too since this is a Macau speciality. And this restaurant is supposed to be Macau style.  When it came, I was disappointed.  It was nothing like the porkchop bun like I had from the famous Tai Lei Loi Cafe.  This one tasted like a McD's Filet-o-Fish with a porkchop instead of fish.

Pork Chop Bun

I don't know if i'm the only one that found the Macau style dishes disappointing or what, because lots of other customers seemed to order and enjoy the baked porkchop rice and porkchop buns.  I will definitely return for their other since it's so close to home.  I have yet to try their breakfast specials.

Golden Horse
4580 Hwy 7 East Unit 3
Markham, ON L3R 1M5
(905) 940-3288

Lady Marmalade

I love eggs.  I love breakfast foods.  So on occasion, we will look for a new restaurant to visit so I can try out their brunch menu.  This time, because we planned on going down to the Beaches for my hubbys cousin's engagement shoot, I thought it would be perfect to make a trip to Lady Marmalade located in Leslieville.

Before actually going to the restaurant, I was warned about the wait times.  Unless you go first thing in the morning when they open, you will need to wait a good half an hour.  And this was no lie.  We had to wait a good half an hour for a table for 4.  Good thing the decor in the restaurant was interesting enough to keep me entertained so the wait didn't seem as long as it was.  There were some beautiful photographs on the walls.  The furniture was a different story.  It was like we were sent back in time about 20 years ago.  My parents owned a similar table, similar chairs, and i'm sure both my family and extended family owned similar mugs.

Once we were seated, we quickly placed our orders because we were super hungry.  We ordered the huevos migas, baked crepe croque monsieur, cochinita pibil benny, and brie avocado bacon benny.  After we ordered we had to wait quite a while to get our food.  I lost track of time, all I could think about was how much my stomach was making grumbling sounds.  Good thing it was loud in there, similar volume to a Chinese dim sum restaurant, or else I would have been so embarassed if anyone heard my stomach.

Huevos migas was HUGE.  It looked like a Mexican party on a platter.  Three soft scrambled eggs with cheese, tomatoes, scallions and sausage, served with basmati brown rice, smashed black beans, sour cream, pico de gallo salsa and organic corn tortilla chips.  Considering that this was enough to make my cousin-in-law full, this means that there's probably too much food for a 'normal' adult to be eating.

Huevos Migas

Baked crepe croque monsieur.  I normally don't like to order such heavy foods for breakfast or even brunch.  The thought of all that cheese that would sit in my stomach.....ughhh.  But since it was after 1pm, and also my first meal of the day, I thought, what the hey.  When the dish was first placed in front of me, I noticed that the poached egg whites were overcooked.  I then got worried that my yolks wouldn't be runny.  But as soon as I broke the eggs open, and saw the golden yellow yolks run onto my crepes, my worries were subsided.  Ooozy egg yolks with ooozy ham and cheese.  Whats not to like?  The potatoes that came on the side were just meh I thought, but the main dish was able to keep me nice and happy.  No complaints.

Baked Crepe Croque Monsieur

Cochinita pibil benny translation would be Yucatan pulled pork and citrus marinated red onion benny served with a side of salad.  The pulled pork was delicious.  Just enough spice and the pork was so soft and tender.  I think Lady Marmalade's pulled pork ranks high up there in my books!  Their hollandaise sauce was just ok I thought.  Nothing to special, actually I thought was slightly under seasoned.  There was also a herby type sauce on top of the hollandaise sauce which I couldn't figure out.  The hubby enjoyed this dish for sure!

Conchinita Pibil Benny

Last but not least, the brie avocado bacon benny.  It looked delicious. I didn't get a chance to try it, but no complaints from the person who ordered it.

Brie Avocado Bacon Benny

Lady Marmalade was great.  I just wish that the lineup to get a table and the wait for our food wasn't as long as it was.  To avoid a lineup, either show up when they open, or come at 2pm.

Lady Marmalade
898 Queen St East at Logan Ave
647-351-7645
Hours: Monday - Friday - 8am to 4pm
            Saturday & Sunday (& Holidays) - 8am to 3pm

They don't take reservations.

Photos courtesy of PixelBytes Photography

Goody's Diner: Visit 2

I had to make another trip here after I found out at the end of my last meal that their burger patties were made in house.  Just like a steak, I find there's a big difference in terms of the juiciness of a burger patty depending on how well done it is cooked.  Not all of your favorite burger joints in Canada are allowed to cook your burger other than well done because they buy the burger patties frozen.  I believe the rule is, if you grind your own meats, because you know whats going into the burger, you can allow the customer to choose how well done they want their burger.

On this trip, the hubby ordered the Farmer John burger, cooked to medium rare with a side order of fries.  For some reason the hubby loves to order burgers topped with fried eggs.  He always complains about how messy it is to eat, but yet, if it's on the menu, he will order it.  So this burger came topped with an onion ring, fried egg and bacon along with the normal, lettuce, tomato, and cheese.  I guess you can call this a breakfast burger.  Although I can't imagine anyone eating this first thing in the morning.  We cut into this burger, and was cooked to a perfect medium rare, and super juicy......DELICIOUS!

Farmer John

I know, each time I come here, I end up ordering anything but a burger.  Last time's excuse was I was on my detox, unable to eat beef.  This time, it was 1pm on a Saturday, and I haven't eaten breakfast yet.  I needed breakfast.  That and I love breakfast meals.  I could eat a breakfast type meal anytime of the day.  So I ordered their Huevos Rancheros topped with poached eggs.  It was so good!  The chorizo sausage was really spicy, making the rest of the dish spicy.  Good thing I can handle my spices!  The combination of the golden yellow/orange egg yolks, with sausage and the salsa was like a flavor explosion in my mouth each time I had a bite!

Huevos Rancheros

I'm so glad Goody's decided to open on Saturdays now.  This means I can continue to try the rest of their menu!  I promise on the next visit I will order a burger!

Goody's Diner 17-133 Manville Rd.
Hours: Monday - Saturday 9am-7pm
Phone: 647-348-9338