Laksa

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 254 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2C2, Canada marketingwit@patskingofsteaks.com Website (416) 603-3988 Price: $$ Facebook // Foursquare

Laksa is a new restaurant in Toronto’s Chinatown district. They serve mostly Thai food, but there is also a second, smaller menu with some Malaysian dishes.

I scoped out the place while on vacation and I was not impressed at all. With a name like “Laksa”, you’d think they’d be able to provide a decent Laksa dish, but boy was I wrong. The flavor was bland and very uninspiring. The fish cake appetizers that I order looked like they came from a frozen package. And to top it off, the table next to me had all sorts of issues with there food, from hair in their noodles to mysterious objects in their pork.

Skip this place at all cost.

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Thai Basil

Rating: ★★★★☆ 467 Bloor St W, Toronto, ON M5S 1X9, Canada marketingwit@patskingofsteaks.com Website (416) 840-9988 Price: $$ Hours: Sun–Thur 11:30 am – 10 pm Fri & Sat 11:30 am – 11 pm Facebook // Foursquare

Having been greatly disappointed to find that a particular dim sum restaurant which I was searching for was closed, I came across this gem.

Thai Basil offers authentic Thai food in a very relaxing environment. The host is very friendly and the service is spectacular. I had the chicken pad Thai lunch special and it was super cheep. For $7.95 I got a salad, spring roll, and soup as my starter and the chicken pad Thai as my entree. The Thai ice tea is not bad either.

Beyond being a great value, the food just flat out taste good.

Station Asia

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 4390 Steeles Ave, Unit B59, Markham, ON L3R 9V7, Canada (905) 305-1268 Price: $$ Foursquare

Station Asia offers awesome set meals, which includes soup, entree, drink, and dessert. The prices are very reasonable, set meals start at $8CAD.

I had a set meal which included a hot & sour soup, chicken and veggies on rice with xo sauce, Almond Green Tea shake, and black jelly dessert.

They offer friendly service but at times a bit slow. Overall, you get good value here but there nothing special in the food.

Bright Pearl Restaurant

Rating: ★★★☆☆ 346 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2G2, Canada Website (416) 979-1103 Price: $$ Hours: Mon-Fri 10 am – 10 pm Sat-Sun 9:30 am – 11 pm Facebook // Foursquare

This by the far the best dim sum restaurant in Toronto, but don’t go outside of Happy Hour, it’s just not worth it.

Happy Hour:
Mon – Fri 9 a.m.- 11:30 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.- 4 p.m.
Sat, Sun, Holidays 9 a.m.- 11 a.m.

The dim sum here is on par with ones that I have had in Hong Kong, but the selection is very basic / traditional. They don’t offer the creative dim sum like they do in Hong Kong and New York City (i.e. shark fin dumpling), but at the price point of $1.88CAD a pop for authentic dim sum this the place to go for weekend brunches.  Just beware outside of happy hour be prepared to spend anywhere from $4-$7CAD a dish.

Sky Dragon Chinese Restaurant

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆ 280 Ave Spadina, Toronto, ON M5T 3A5, Canada (416) 408-4999 Price: $$ Hours: Mon-Sun 9 am – 10:30 pm Facebook // Foursquare

A big thumbs down for this place!

This place is completely awful. The dim sum is pushed around in carts that don’t keep them hot and you know how bad dim sum is when it’s served cold. In addition, the dim sum is not prepared and cooked properly. I got a beef dish that was not suppose to have a hint of shrimp taste but did, which lead me to believe they are steam multiple dishes on the same plate. Not good!