Out & About #223 | Diana's Oyster & Grill Bar Grand Opening + Egg Waffles

If you've ever spent a ridiculous amount of time meticulously planning out every step of logistics for an event, you'd likely be able to relate to the hard-hitting smack of utmost disappointment associated with the emerging of unforeseen circumstances. Quite commonly, such circumstances forcibly result in cancellations or postponing of the proposed event.

Originally stated to be held towards the end of March, then moved to mid-April, and finally confirmed for late April, the Grand Opening of Diana's Markham location was an event that I had anticipated greatly and held high expectations for.

A significant amount of coordination was required for the trip: regional and local bus schedules were analyzed, appointments were moved to less convenient hours, and efforts were made to allocate the most appropriate equipment for the job. With few details provided to us prior to the middle of the month, coordination between various parties (and their own respective schedules) was not an easy task to accomplish.

A series of last-minute discussions led to a commute to North York amidst sunny but chill weather, and then another trip to Markham.
Upon my arrival, I noticed that the parking lot wasn't exceedingly occupied. However, it was later discovered that the interior of the restaurant was relatively chaotic in contrast.

Grander, and with less optimal lighting situations, than expected, Diana's Oyster & Grill Bar exuded an ambience unlike majority of the restaurants in the vicinity. Granite tabletops, stone plate-lined walls, and hanging lamps illuminated with incandescent bulbs filled the seating area; surrounding the perimeter of a square bar area were comfy booths with tea light embedded in a spherical gradient table pieces.

The event ran between 1 pm to 3 pm, and featured an ice centrepiece adorned with freshly-shucked oysters and shrimp, multiple platters of hors-d'oeuvres, and an open bar with options of wine, beer, and soft drinks.

Among the bite-sized offerings were Oyster Shooters (oysters and tomato juice), Salmon Sliders, Grilled Salmon Kabobs, Octopus Bruschetta, Crab Cakes and Calamari with Aioli dipping sauce, Sesame Salmon and Tuna Tartare Cups, and, of course, fresh oysters.

All of the items were fantastic, and despite the repetitive use of salmon in many of their dishes, each retained a unique blend of flavours and varying textures. Needless to say, I was mindblown. Another one of my favourites was the Crab Cake - ideally sized and emitting hints of lemon with every bite, the fluffy, meaty interior was, hands down, the most delectable crustacean-based appetizer I had ever tasted.

View the full album HERE !

The hors-d'oeuvres were continually prepared and brought out by servers over an approximate one-hour period. And while they were uncertain of some specific details regarding the items, they were extremely courteous to all of the guests - Yes, even the rowdy, oyster-hoarding ones!

Frank Scarpitti, the Mayor of Markham, made his appearance at a little after 2 pm. His arrival was warmly welcomed as hostesses, event organizers, and Councillors alike put a temporary halt on their seafood-indulging to greet him.

Following a brief introduction of the other Councillors in attendance (which was really more of a "shoutout" in my opinion), the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held. A congratulatory certificate was also signed and presented to Diana, the owner, and her family.

A friend of mine later joined me at the event as a guest, and noted the freshness of the food items as well. (Surprisingly enough, neither of us had a chance to try the oysters.)

With the exception of the minor scheduling hiccup, the event was largely successful in exhibiting Diana's wide range of seafood dishes and sophisticated atmosphere. I did, however, exit the premises with much regret that I had not been able to bring another guest to the event; this was a result of the several re-schedulings and it was a shame that gift certificates had not been provided to the attendees for future visits.
Nonetheless, the Grand Opening of Diana's Markham location was a very enjoyable experience and I would like to extend sincere gratitude for the invitation.

After the prompt termination of the event at 3 pm, the group of attendees slowly dispersed and bid their farewells. I loitered for a short while while reviewing my photographs before suggesting a trip to Phoenix for dessert.

Situated south of Diana's, Phoenix Restaurant was only a three-minute drive down Woodbine. We arrived to a partially-full restaurant, making me glad that we hadn't come during the lunch rush. Without further ado, I proceeded to order a glass of Iced Hong Kong Milk Tea and a plate of Green Tea Egg Waffles to share.

For a HK-style cafe, Phoenix's dessert selection was pretty impressive: Brick toast, toast cubes, pancakes, and waffles were some of the options. Egg waffles were a new addition to their menu, and were advertised via a simple, colourful promotion poster in the entranceway. In addition the ever-popular Green Tea and Black Sesame, the combos were also available in Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Mango, each varying slightly in price point depending on popularity.

The iced beverage arrived in a matter of minutes, but it wasn't until another twenty minutes has passed that the egg waffles made their appearance on our table. They were uniformly browned and elaborately decorated with icing sugar and swirls of chocolate sauce. While seemingly acceptable to the eye, the dolled-up street snack had an odd, lime-green interior and a firmness displaying a Toast Delight-like overuse of cornstarch in its batter. It remained crisp, though left a stronger green tea flavour to be desired; in its defence, it paired exceptionally well with the ice cream due to its sturdy properties.

Service was quite pleasant, actually, and not particularly characteristic of standard Chinese eateries.
It is highly likely that I will be revisiting the restaurant to try out their vast range of lunch options, but perhaps I'll take to ordering a different dessert next time.

---