Haidilao Hot Pot 海底捞火锅 Lunch Special (Toronto)

If you hate crowds than I would not recommend going to Haidilao Hot Pot for dinner on a weekend. It’s packed and you’ll likely still have to wait even with a reservation. Even simple tasks like getting dipping sauces at the condiment station can be a test of patience.

Instead, visit for a weekday lunch and you’ll be treated to an oasis of calm. Simply walk-in and you’re seated. In no time you’ll have a bowl of intricately made sauce (soy sauce, crushed garlic, cilantro, green onion, a touch of sesame oil, and mushroom chili sauce is my combo) and are ready to boil away.

Additionally, their lunch combos are also a great deal. Starting at $39.90 for two people and up to $79.80 for four people, each person gets a choice of a protein (sliced beef, lamb or pork; marinated chicken or lamb; basa fish; or prawns), a grain (steamed rice, noodles, or iced tangyuan in rice wine), and a pre-selected platter of accompaniments.

With dinner, every item is priced separately but the lunch combo includes a choice of two broths for the table (normally $5-$6 per base), access to the condiment and snack station (normally $3.99 per person), and even unlimited prune or passionfruit juice (typically sold by the pitcher).

Not all the proteins are sized alike. Their sliced beef is sufficient two, but you’ll likely want two orders for any more people. Yet, with eight shrimps their prawns should be enough for any sized table.

I enjoy the individual platters, which contained items like quail eggs, imitation crab, enoki mushroom, napa cabbage, romaine lettuce, potato slices, yam vermicelli, skin of bean curd, konjac noodle bundles, fish ball with crab roe, and an egg bundle. Keep in mind that each person gets one of the pictured platters so it’s A LOT of food. You’ll leave stuffed or with takeout.

They still offer snacks like pickled radish, fruit slices, and edamame at the condiment station.

Plus, they also have a self-serve dessert station where you can make a shaved ice creation topped with a mixture of boba, jellies, and other ingredients.

My go to dessert for finishing the meal is a bowl of their Chinese porridge made from red beans and rice, topped with grass jelly, a bit of their brown sugar syrup, and vanilla ice cream (you’ll need to ask one from the servers).

Haidilao is known for their service, and they’re adequately staffed at lunch to ensure we’re attended to the broth is refilled at regular intervals and they still offer to peel your shrimp. Having visited during weekday lunch it’s a luxurious experience with no seating limits and no crowds. It’s so lovely that I’m not sure dinner is ever in the cards again. 

Overall mark - 9 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 1571 Sandhurst Circle


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


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579 Taiwan Beef Noodle House (Toronto)


Since the Scarborough institution Beef Noodle House closed in 2024, I thought my chances of tucking into a bowl of properly braised beef noodles was gone. Then I heard about 579 Taiwan Beef Noodle House a Canadian outpost of a chain from Taiwan. 

At first glance, it seems there isn’t a lot of beef in the braised beef soup noodles ($15.99 for large) but the five slices are cut thicker, which gives it a heartier feeling. And while some restaurants may use a pure meat cut, 579 Taiwan braises a part that has cartilage attached so some pieces have a gelatinous bite, a texture I don’t mind but others may find grizzly.

You’ll likely want to upgrade to a large bowl as there aren’t that many noodles in a portion. Made to a medium thickness, they’re a little soft for my taste. But the salty broth does hold up against the carbs and already contains some chili oil so there’s a bit of a kick. For those who want it spicier there’s more tableside, just be careful as the chili oil is powerful.

What adds to the noodles are the chopped pickled vegetables, which you’ll want to sprinkle liberally into the dry mixed noodles with minced pork ($14.99 for small). While the dish already contains julienned cucumber and bean sprouts, the pickled vegetables provide interest to the otherwise tame garlicky noodles.

If noodles aren’t your jam, 579 Taiwan also offers dumplings as a base, eight nuggets topped with your choice of beef, tendon, and/or tripe. A great option for those who want a lot of protein. I decided to try the boiled dumplings ($9.99) solo and liked that they arrived freshly made and boiling hot. The seafood, meat, and chives filling just wasn’t the greatest, too fishy for my taste.

The Taiwanese popcorn chicken ($6.99) was delicious, enough to share amongst two people and is sizzling hot and crispy. Being well seasoned, the chicken doesn’t need condiments, it’s juicy and delicious nude.

Other ways to round out a meal is with a side of A choy ($4.99) that’s boiled and topped with sweet soy sauce and crispy shallots.

There’s also an array of side dishes ($3.49 for one + $3 for each additional dish). The thinly sliced jellyfish was tossed with julienned vegetables and a slightly spicy sauce. It’s not as crunchy as the Cantonese version but more flavourful and refreshing. Meanwhile, I didn’t love the lack of crunch with the cucumber and the sweetness threw me off… I guess I was expecting the Korean kimchi version.

Loyalty is rewarded at 579 Taiwan Beef Noodle House with a punch card where eight bowls get you a ninth for free. Cash payments garner a 5% discount, and the bill comes with a coupon for a free small dish for a following visit. Mark my words, after the success of the first Scarborough location, I’m sure we’ll see more 579 Taiwan restaurants popping up across the GTA.

In a nutshell... 
  • Must order: braised beef noodle soup, Taiwanese popcorn chicken
  • Just skip: boiled dumplings, cucumber side dish

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 3280 Midland Avenue


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


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Ēst Restaurant (Toronto)


Summerlicious returns and this year I’ve narrowed my visits to only one place, Ēst Restaurant, that was recommended by a friend. They’ve been meaning to visit the casual French establishment and at last we had an opportunity and reason to get out to the East side.

Their Summerlicious menu ($75 per person) is at the highest price point, but still good value compared to normal prices (reflected in this post). For example, the burrata & caviar starter is typically $41, more than half of the special deal, which is surprising given its modest size.  

Hopefully, they usually give a full burrata as the palm-sized portion barely whet the appetite. Served on top of toasted pain-au-lait with a dollop of sturgeon caviar, the starter was a blend of flavours with the olive oil and honey. It’s good, but would I order it again for $40? Let’s just say I’m glad I experienced it with Summerlicious.

Unlike the burrata, they weren’t stingy with the lobster agnolotti ($39) with plenty of plump stuffed pasta to go around. The chopped lobster and ricotta (?) filling was wrapped in an al dante shell that went nicely with the light champagne butter sauce. Simply topped with chopped fermented garlic scapes and a yuzu foam, they complimented but didn’t overpower the seafood.

You can’t go wrong with the braised beef short rib ($51) a large hunk of tender beef sitting on silky pomme purée (or mashed potatoes for the English) swimming in a lovely red wine jus. It’s a classic for a reason, excellently executed at Ēst.

If you like chocolate, you’ll love the Ēst chocolate cake ($15), a rich dark chocolate dessert with sweet chocolate whipped cream and more warm chocolate sauce on the side. It’s A LOT but thankfully there’s a bit of vanilla gelato to help cut through it all.

At the other end of the spectrum, the piña colada sorbet ($15) was lighter with coconut sorbet topped with crispy coconut, pineapple, and nuts. It’s good, if you wanted to end on a more manageable note.

At the risk of sounding like Goldilocks, the crème brulee cheesecake was just right - a balanced sweetness with a creamy and not overly dense texture. The scoop of gelato didn’t hurt either. Of the three desserts, this was my favourite.

I’ll say it again; I commend restaurants that build their Summerlicious menu around dishes they normally serve. Ēst held true to the experience along with their friendly and unhurried service. Thank you for allowing diners to taste a typical meal at a deal. 

Overall mark - 7 out of 10

Is Summerlicious worth it (based on my meal selection)?
Winterlicious - $75
Regular menu - $107 - burrata ($41), short rib ($51) and dessert ($15)
Savings - $32 or 30%

How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 729 Queen St East


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!

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Pho Anh Vu (Toronto)


There’s a dizzying number of Vietnamese restaurants opening along the Scarborough and Markham border area. Another newcomer joining the fold is Pho Ahn Vu, an addition to the growing chain that’s spreading across the GTA. Its claim to fame: an ornate dining room with fake pink blossomed trees that’s photographed just as much as their actual food.

To be fair, their food tastes good too. If you’re feeling hungry their bún thịt nướng (or rice noodles with grilled meat) dishes are very filling. It starts with a generous portion of vermicelli and tops it with your choice of protein.

The grilled pork, spring roll, and shrimp on sugarcane ($22.95) offered a bit of everything including cardboard thin slices of marinated pork, a hot and delicious crispy spring roll, and a golf ball sized fried shrimp paste that made up for its petiteness with flavour. Along with a mix of fresh herbs, julienned cucumber, bean sprouts, pickled vegetables, and roasted peanuts it’s a cool refreshing dish for the warmer months.

My tip: try the dish with a mixture of their chili sauces. That hit of heat goes so nicely with the fish sauce vinaigrette.

Their pho is tiny in comparison. The special rice noodle soup ($17.95) had a decent amount of protein with slices of rare beef tenderloin, well done flank, a couple cubes of tendon, maybe two beef balls, and a couple thinly sliced tripe, but a scant portion of noodles. So, you’ll either want to upgrade to the larger size ($21.50) or add a side dish to round out the meal.

At least their broth was on point – full flavoured and perfectly seasoned. I only wish it was hotter as it became lukewarm after the raw bean sprouts were added. Like the vermicelli, their pho contains several herbs creating a bright bowl of noodles.

I can see why Pho Ahn Vu’s expanding so quickly, opening locations in Mississauga, Hamilton, and Whitby. Pretty pink flowers, solid recipes, and friendly attentive service. Now this is the type of ‘send noods’ I can get behind.

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 4733 Steeles Ave East


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____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


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General Public (Toronto)

You generally won’t find a calming and glamourous restaurant within an industrial neighbourhood. During a weeknight visit, we had to dodge cars getting in and out of businesses before arriving at General Public along the busy Geary Avenue. We met an older couple outside who looked confused. Yes, they were in the right place. Once an auto repair shop, it’s now home to Toronto Life’s best new restaurant of 2025.

It’s not exactly the place you’d think to start the meal with a bubbles and a bump ($15), essentially a 2g spoon of caviar chased with 1oz of champagne. While a bit ostentatious, it’s believed that by placing the caviar on the crook of your hand (essentially were you sprinkle salt to chase a tequila shot), your body will gradually warm the caviar to the right temperature. Did it work? Honestly, hard to tell with such a tiny portion.

While I enjoyed the dish, the protein could have been anything in bluefin carpaccio ($29). The strong flavours from the pickled onion and cheddar cheese crisps ended up covering the tuna. Not the greatest if you want to taste the bluefin, but ideal for those who are squeamish about eating raw fish.

Every table seemed to order the chicken wings ($21) given the description of being brined in a Guiness and tossed with a Worcestershire honey butter sauce… now this is different! It tasted like General Tao to me, which isn’t bad but not overly exciting either. At least they were crispy, juicy, and hot, three important components to a good wing.

The black cod ($47) was poached to perfection and covered in an herb bread crumb crust giving the silky fish some crunch. What really made it shine was the buttery parsley sauce that tasted like a creamy bisque. Why the dish isn’t served with toasted bread to allow diners to wipe up every drop of this sauce is a mystery.

We made our own “fish and chips” by pairing the cod with English chips ($13). These were so crispy and the potato nice and fluffy. I just need to tone down the salt.

Often an after thought at pubs, the desserts at General Public stole the show. The banoffee pie ($16) incorporates a thick ganache base in a lovely graham crust, so much chocolate that it could have been described as a chocolate tart. Layered with banana, caramel, and whipped cream this is a rich dessert that must be shared.

Consequently, it went perfectly with the lemon posset ($15). I wasn’t going to order this but after Corey, our server, described it as the best lemon dessert he’s had for a person who doesn’t like lemon desserts, I knew I had to try it.  

He was right. Covered with a short bread cookie, you need to break through it like a crème brûlée to get to the luscious creamy lemon pudding. The flavours were well-balanced, not overly sour or sweet, but as the Three Bears would say… just right. It was delicious on its own or mixed with the chocolate or whipped cream from the banoffee pie it worked as well. Teamwork makes the dessert dreams work.

Despite the swanky décor, General Public doesn’t take itself too seriously. I was curious about the furry mascot printed on the menus. Corey explained it was GP, a sidekick to Hammy the Hamster in a program called Once Upon a Hamster shown in the 90s on YTV. The initials GP spells out General Public so the obscure reference works.

And it certainly does for those who were born before the millennium. Upon reference to Hammy, my husband’s eyes lit up as he recounted the strange show that only broadcasted for two seasons. General Public is more than just a restaurant or pub. It’s a conversation starter, from the quirky guinea pig mascot to its odd location amongst repair shops.   

In a nutshell... 
  • Must order: lemon posset, black cod
  • Just skip: bubbles and bump

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 201 Geary Avenue


Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


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Tha Phae Tavern (Toronto)

It’s dizzying how many Thai restaurants are popping up across Toronto. Instead of following the crowd, Tha Phae Tavern swaps out the pad Thai and curry for handhelds and street food type bites.

There are traditional dishes like the Moo ping ($5 for 2 during happy hour; $9 for 3 normally), bite-sized grilled pork nuggets that are well caramelized with a sweet and savoury sauce. These would be wonderful wrapped in lettuce or ordered with a portion of sticky rice ($6) to create a full meal.

Then there are more Westernized items like the grilled pork with steamed bao bun ($7 during happy hour; $8 normally). It’s a tad salty and I would have preferred the kitchen to leave off the sauce to allow me to add it myself, given a portion is served with the bun. Still, the tender pork slices, pickled vegetables, and soft bao were delicious. Two of these would make a nice lunch.

The Tha Phae fried chicken ($18) was a favourite amongst the table. Marinated with house spices, even by itself there was a savouriness that’s enough. But there’s also dipping sauces for those who want even more flavour. One thing’s for certain, food at Tha Phae is not bland.

After all the heavier dishes I’m glad we ordered the spicy glass noodle salad with seafood ($15) to balance it out. With the ability to choose the spiciness level, the ‘medium’ was more than enough to elicit sting. The vermicelli noodles were tossed in a refreshing soy and lime dressing with a scant couple of shrimp and calamari.

While waiting for the food to arrive, complimentary tom yum peanuts were presented - they should be selling these by the bagful! The nuts are fried with chili and Thai basil, so they become wonderfully fragrant are addictively delicious.

Surprisingly, it was dead on a Wednesday during their happy hour (on from 4-7pm) despite the well priced drink specials. Tha Phae offers a selection of cocktails for $10. The mamuang slush ($10) was sweet, but the shot of vodka (your choice of alcohol) helped balance it out. I thoroughly tasted the mango and liked the addition of coconut sticky rice horchata that thickened the drink. With the touch of cinnamon this could be considered a dessert.

Tha Phae likely hits its peak as a post-dinner or pre-party destination.  With kitschy claw machines and karaoke, it’s fun and much livelier than other Thai restaurants in Toronto.

In a nutshell... 
  • Must order: fried chicken, moo ping
  • Just skip: nothing

Overall mark - 7 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 221 Richmond Street West


Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

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Limon (Toronto)

I feel bad for restaurants waiting for their liquor license. The most profitable menu items can’t be sold, and staff suffer from paltry gratuities from lower bill totals. If available, I generally get a drink. Yet, the regulators were dragging their feet as not a drop was available during the first two months of opening. After I got over the initial disappointment, I left the meals feeling great! Satisfied and nourished in a healthy way. Maybe I don’t need wine in my life.

Limon starts off the meal with a pickle plate that usually contains a combination of cabbage, cucumbers, and carrots. Lightly vinegared and salty, the pickles help wet the appetite.

Almost every table gets a dip and while the typical babaganoush and hummus are available, the eggplant and pepper dip ($9) intrigued me. Starting with a base of roasted eggplant, slivers of quickly smoked pepper and raw celery & onion are mixed in, so the dip is creamy and crunchy. As a babaganoush lover, I thoroughly enjoyed this version! Without tahini the dip is lighter and brighter.

Still their bababanoush ($9) is good with large chunks of eggplant and tons of tahini turning it creamy. It's just a touch sweet for me.

For the carb conscious, the dips arrive without a pita ($1.50), so you won’t be tempted. I wanted one with the eggplant and pepper… it’s your regular run-of-the-mill thick pocketed pita.

It's remarkable how much they can stuff in a pita. You'll need to unhinge your jaw to bite into lamb kefta in a pita ($18), the ground meat kebab juicy and each bite bringing different flavours. The bites with their zesty and slightly spicy amba sauce are my favourite and despite the abundance of onion, they're well soaked so the acidity is removed and a crunchy sweetness remains.

Their sandwiches arrive solo but is enough to satisfy. The price for a side of French fries ($11) is a bit steep but it's a huge portion, enough to share amongst three.

The beef shish kabob ($30) was a tad chewy but at least cooked well and perfectly seasoned and not overly salty. I recommend upgrading to their Greek salad ($4 supplement), a village style version containing large chunks of juicy ripe tomato, crunchy cucumber, briny creamy feta, and onions. Limon augments the salad with roasted red paper and capers adding a savoury smoky element that’s delicious.

If you’re in the mood for beef, order the strip steak ($34) instead. It’s less grizzly and you get a sizeable portion of meat cooked to your liking.

With three pieces of fish arriving in the roasted rainbow trout ($30), this is a shareable main. It's well cooked with crispy skin and tender meat and simply topped with onions and pomegranate seeds. 

Having visited on three occasions, the sole visit the restaurant wasn't full was during a weekday lunch. And when it gets busy the ordering and paying process slows down as Limon creates a bottleneck by flowing both operations into one person, who I assume is the manager. Despite a number of workers, they seem to focus on serving, refilling water, and cleaning up. If you ask one to take an order or pay, the request gets redirected to the manager. What an odd way to slow down table turnover at a restaurant.

Warning: the tightly packed tables create a loud ambient noise at the restaurant. It’s a bit much at first, but as the meal progresses, I tuned it out. When the weather’s nice and they open the front windows, it almost feels like you’re sitting al fresco somewhere a bit more exotic than Midtown Toronto. A beautiful meal indeed.

In a nutshell... 
  • Must order: Greek salad
  • Just skip: nothing

Overall mark - 8 out of 10


How To Find Them
 Location: Toronto, Canada
 Address: 3265 Yonge Street


Follow me on twitter to chat, be notified about new posts and more - https://twitter.com/GastroWorldBlog
____________________________
Gastro World's Grading System

  • Anything under 5 - I really disliked and will never go back
  • 6 - decent restaurant but I likely won't return
  • 7 - decent restaurant and I will likely return
  • 8 - great restaurant that I'd be happy to recommend
  • 9 - fantastic restaurant that I would love to visit regularly and highly recommend
  • 10 - absolute perfection!


Is That It? I Want More!

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