Sushi Legend

A newer Sushi Legend opened up in Scarborough recently and being a sushi lover,  it was just one of those places that one had to go check out.  This restaurant is more or less the sister restaurant of the one that is located in North York.  I had been to the Scarborough one a few months for lunch and just very recently decided to pop in for dinner. 

The prices do vary quite a bit from lunch to dinner.  As well, they do not serve salmon or many of the sashimi dishes during the lunch time.  It is as one can tell an all you can eat Japanese sushi buffet restaurant.  I strongly advised one to get reservations prior to going as both times I was there, the restaurant was packed and lined up all the way out the door despite extra seating in the back.

Assorted Sashimi

Again as always it would be very difficult to name every item that we had ordered since we certainly ordered a lot that evening.  It was about $18 per person at lunch and $26.95 for dinner.  Drinks were included in the price.  However unlike some places, Sushi Legend did not offer an specialty dishes for paying the extra price.  Some of the dishes I personally liked that evening was the beef tarter, the sashimi dishes, scallop sashimi, and spider rolls.

The sushi proportions were within average size compared with their competitors however the some of the tartars, scallops and non-sushi dishes were very small.  One had to order 4 or 5 more dishes for some of the more rarer dishes just so that every one could have a fair portion of it.  Outside of that, the fish was pretty fresh and none of the fish served that evening appeared to have been frozen.  Judging by the amount of people that were coming and going, it was safe to say that they probably had a very high turnover which assisted in the consumption of the food and prevent if from sitting and having to store overnight.  

Overall, the Sushi Legend all you can eat restaurant lived up to its expectations as that of their sister restaurant in North York.  The nice decor and vast space really made it a good experience.  The staff was very good and only one or two dishes were missed from the initial orders.  Overall I would go back again one day for either lunch or dinner.  Overall I give it a 4 out 5.

Sushi Legend
175 Commander Blvd #2
Scarborough, Ontario

416-293-0118

Ryu's Noodle Bar

If you are looking for a great Japanese ramen noodle restaurant in the downtown area and you don't know where to go, then look no further than Ryu's Noodle Bar on Baldwin Street.  The restaurant itself has been around for a while and every time we go there, there is of course long line ups all the way out the door.  This time we went around 5:30 at night, just before everyone got off work and were practically the only people in the restaurant.

I asked the waitress what was one of the better noodles at the restaurant and she highly recommended the Pork Blaster ($15.50) which consisted of a pork bone soup base (my choice, one half boiled egg and about a half dozen pieces of pork meat.

Pork Blaster

The waitress recommended a couple of sauces for the pork meat which I selected the challot oil as one and the satay sauce as the other.  The pork meat itself were half lean, half fatty which was just the way I liked it.  The rather large pieces of pork certainly showed that the chefs had no intentions of holding back and cheaping out on the customer.  The noodles were pretty firm and lengthy and there were plenty of it in the bowl.  The only mistake I made and I don't think that I could fault the chefs for it was that I had ordered a pork bone as my soup base.  The pork itself had some fat in it and the the pork bone soup was already over saturated with pork flavor, so the combination of the two made the soup even more thick and salty and tad too meaty to slurp on its own.  Trying to have the noodles, the meat and some soup all on the spoon and to chug it all at once almost had a pork meat overkill tone to it.  A spicy soup base or a miso soup base might have been a better choice.

Despite that, the meal was perfect for a hungry stomach.  One bowl of this pork blaster and I was super full after the meal.  If one is planning to go, either go early or be prepared to stand in line and wait for a while.  In the summer time, there is an outdoor patio where one could enjoy their meal outdoors if they so wish.  There is also limited paid parking on the street as well so again go early if you can.  Overall I give it a 4.25 out of 5.

Ryu's Noodle Bar
33 Baldwin Street
Toronto, Ontario

647-344-9306

Yang's Fine Dining Cuisine

Up in Richmond Hill, there are plenty of fancy high end dim sum restaurants that one could choose to eat at. On this one particular afternoon, we decided to head up to Yang's Fine Dining Cuisine.  The restaurant itself is tucked inside a plaza however once inside the place, you will find that there seemed to be a sense of classiness within the restaurant itself.  There is a small dining room area and private rooms further inside the restaurant itself.  The restaurant was pretty packed when we got in but thank goodness for reservations. With children, that one simple phone call could make it a memorable meal or forgettable one.

Steamed Bean Curd

Siu Meis

Sea Cucumber Intestines

 We were given a table within 5 minutes  Dim sums themselves were priced based on size which were medium, large and extra large at  $4.30, $5.50 and $7.90 respectively.  There are no push carts and no one yelling out the food as everything is based on paper and pen.  There are occasional special items that the managers will come around and offer to your table.

Mushroom and Bean Sprout Dumplings

Beef and Enoki Mushroom Rice Noodle Rolls

As per custom, it is difficult to go through every dim sum item that we had ordered.  The usual obligatory Shrimp Dumplings and Siu Meis were a must, however we also ordered some Beef Tripe, Beef and Enoki Mushroom Rice Noodle Rolls, Fried Salmon, Sea Cucumber Intestines, Beef Tendons with Sacha Sauce, Pan Fried Turnip Cakes, Steamed Scallops, Mushroom and Bean Sprout Dumplings and Steamed Bean Curd.

Beef Tripe

Pan Fried Turnip Cakes

The only standout dish out of the bunch I thought was maybe the Beef and Enoki Mushroom Rice Noodle Rolls.  Most restaurants serve this dish with strictly beef and nothing else.  By adding a touch of mushrooms inside the noodle roll gave it just that little bit of extra flavor to it.  I like mushrooms and for people who are in the same boat as I am in, they will like this dish for its flavor and uniqueness.

Beef Tendons with Sacha Sauce

Fried Salmon

Otherwise everything else tasted about the same as any other dim sum that I have had before.  I personally did not find any of the items to be any different than any other dim sum that I have had before.  All of the dim sums might have been less greasier compared to some of their competitors but other than that, I didn't find anything that would justify it to a higher price.  Most regular dim sum eaters will find this place pricier compared to some of the other restaurants out there.  The only thing I liked about the restaurant was the atmosphere as the food was at most slightly above average.  Overall I give it a 3.25 out of 5.

Yang's Fine Dining Cuisine
9665 Bayview Avenue #30
Richmond Hill, Ontario

905-884-3388