"Markham has better Asian food." claims nearly every Mississauga local I've conversed with. This statement holds some truth, however I still enjoy my west end eats all the same.
Since trying out Grand Noodle out some few weeks ago, I've noticed that many Markham locals make a direct comparison to Deer Garden Signatures, which is just across the street in the Times Square plaza.
Since trying out Grand Noodle out some few weeks ago, I've noticed that many Markham locals make a direct comparison to Deer Garden Signatures, which is just across the street in the Times Square plaza.
For a noodle joint with an anticipated high turnover rate, the interior is pretty fancy. As the restaurant is located at a corner though, diffused light is, unfortunately, not as abundant.
The restaurant is still largely empty at 11:00 AM - normal, as I've observed that Saturday afternoon peak hours are usually around 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM.
Greeted and seated immediately, the server proceeds to serve us hot tea as we casually browse the menu and wait for the remainder of our party to arrive. Along with customized noodle bowls, Deer Garden serves rice bowls (or "dons") and cha chan teng-style sandwiches; in terms of menu, the most prominent difference would be the fact that Grand Noodle also offers hotpot and carb-heavy submarine dishes.
Greeted and seated immediately, the server proceeds to serve us hot tea as we casually browse the menu and wait for the remainder of our party to arrive. Along with customized noodle bowls, Deer Garden serves rice bowls (or "dons") and cha chan teng-style sandwiches; in terms of menu, the most prominent difference would be the fact that Grand Noodle also offers hotpot and carb-heavy submarine dishes.
To gain a better understanding of the two noodle shops, I opted for the customized noodle bowl. The form comprises mainly of Chinese, with adjacent English descriptions in much smaller font.
Referring back to Grand Noodle, the font sizes were identical, and the sections were also numbered sequentially for ease of use. Cold drinks were an additional $1.00 on top of the standard $8.75 bowl, with specialty ringing in at an extra two dollars.
Referring back to Grand Noodle, the font sizes were identical, and the sections were also numbered sequentially for ease of use. Cold drinks were an additional $1.00 on top of the standard $8.75 bowl, with specialty ringing in at an extra two dollars.
Deer Garden's bowls began at a base price of $9.75, which is already more costly than the former. A basic selection of hot drinks (HK Milk Tea, Lemon Tea, Horlick, etc.) could be added to the combo at no extra charge, though cold drinks would once again incur at additional costs ($1.00). Specialty drinks (such as slushies and House Special Milk Tea) could not be added to form a combo at all, meaning that they could only be obtained by paying full price.
|
|
< Pictured above: Hot Lemon Tea, Hot Milk Tea, and Hot Yuan Yang >
Our trio ended up choosing customized noodle bowls. All three bowls emerged from the kitchen with alarming speed, but didn't quite make it to the table as we were asked to switch to another table when the restaurant quickly began to fill up.
Our trio ended up choosing customized noodle bowls. All three bowls emerged from the kitchen with alarming speed, but didn't quite make it to the table as we were asked to switch to another table when the restaurant quickly began to fill up.
We were directed over to three bar seats instead, which, to my delight, offered a much better lighting source. The bowls were roughly the same size as Grand Noodle, but also included default toppings such as blanched Napa cabbage, mushrooms, cilantro, and bean curd rolls in addition to two complimentary choices.
Although I'm uncertain of the contents of the other two bowls, I was thoroughly pleased with my own creation: Korean-style Sweet Potato Crystal Noodles, Sliced Pumpkin, and Pig's Blood in Parsley & Century Egg Fish Soup. Priding themselves in MSG-free fish soup, the milky-hued broth was tasty albeit a bit creamy for what I had expected. Toppings were aplenty; my only complaint would be that the pumpkin - it appeared to be kabocha or some other member of the squash family - was evidently undercooked and retained an unpleasant firmness.
The staff were surprisingly efficient with seating the hoard of customers that formed during peak hours, all while tending to dine-in customers with friendly, cheerful dispositions.
Likely the biggest flop of the meal were the hot beverages: never had I perceived such an extensive use of creamer in HK Milk Tea. Hopefully this isn't a new standard among Markham restaurants.
Likely the biggest flop of the meal were the hot beverages: never had I perceived such an extensive use of creamer in HK Milk Tea. Hopefully this isn't a new standard among Markham restaurants.
|
|
In conclusion of my findings, Grand Noodle wins in terms of ease of ordering, variety of menu choices, quality of milk tea, and cost effectiveness, while Deer Garden Signatures is the pricier alternative with a modern interior design. Both noodle restaurants have possess their own unique merits, so it depends solely on your culinary preferences.
(Side note: both result in equally terrible parking situations.)
(Side note 2: apparently, Deer Garden Signatures also has two locations in Richmond, making for a total of three on the West Coast)
I also took advantage of this trip to claim a Taro Ice Cream from MOJI. This time around, the ice cream poved to be less icy, but equally milky. The taro flavour was essentially non-existent, so it was almost as if I was munching on a Vanilla Soft Serve from McD's.
(Side note: both result in equally terrible parking situations.)
(Side note 2: apparently, Deer Garden Signatures also has two locations in Richmond, making for a total of three on the West Coast)
I also took advantage of this trip to claim a Taro Ice Cream from MOJI. This time around, the ice cream poved to be less icy, but equally milky. The taro flavour was essentially non-existent, so it was almost as if I was munching on a Vanilla Soft Serve from McD's.
Last stop of the day: CoCo in New Kennedy Square. Service was significantly better than my previous visit (thank god), and the guy at the cashier even spoke proper English!
Lemon King always hits the spot! (P.S. Chinese New Year specials are still going, so a large size was a measly $3.50.)
RSS Feed