Premium Donburi at Hana Don

 

Tsukiji Don @Hana Don

Celebrating an award for DD#1, we went to Hana Don for a late lunch. We went to the Markham location and at 2pm, the place still had a good number of customers.

Grandma got Fried Shrimp set served with tartar sauce. The presentation was lovely, but not really extraordinary. Shrimp tempura might have been better with panko crumbs.

Fried Shrimp Set @Hana Don

Hubby got a Salmon Avocado Don which is pretty much like poke. The diced salmon and avocado were fresh and the rice was light and fluffy.

Salmon Avocado Don @Hana Don

DD#2 got a Gyu Don which was really yummy.  The sliced beef and onion were cooked in a very tasty special sauce. This is something I will definitely try to order next time.

Gyu Don @Hana Don

DD#1 and I both got a Tsukiji Don, the only one which didn’t have a lunch option. What can I say, we felt like celebrating. The dish had salmon, scallop, white fish, yellowtail, squid and roe. The ingredients were fresh and the sushi rice was premium quality.

Tsukiji Don @Hana Don

They had so many other Donburi to choose from, and even some you can customize. Service was polite and prompt. We will definitely be back!

Best Tom Yum and Seafood heaven at Jiyu Hotpot

Meal combo @Jiyu Hotpot

When I found out there was a Thai hotpot place in Markham, I immediately marked it as a destination for our next family celebratory meal. It turned out to be a great choice as the food itself was definitely something to celebrate!

Now, our family loves Tom Yum soup. However, in Canada, we have not really found Tom Yum similar to what we enjoyed in Thailand. The ones we had here were either too sweet or too sour. The Tom Yum broth at Jiyu was the best we have had here! We loved it so much, we all estimated we took in a liter each, just of the broth! It certainly hit the spot with just the right blend of spicy, sour and just the right spot of sweet. Ten thumbs up from us!

Abalone on Tom Yum broth @Jiyu Hotpot

We ordered a Meal for 3 combo and a Vancouver Curry Crab to share. Maybe we had all been eating too much these days but the Meal for 3 was just enough for 5 of us. We just brought home the 1-lb Curry crab as we were already too full. The curry was good, though it was more of the Japanese-type sweet curry instead of the Thai curry I would expect. And well, what is not to like about crab? Yummy!

Vancouver Curry Crab @Jiyu Hotpot

Anyway, the Meal for 3 came with shrimp, abalone, snakehead fish, mussels, scallops, octopus, basa fillets, baby cuttlefish, squid, shrimp paste (not bagoong but more of almost pureed shrimp), crabmeat sticks, sliced beef, crown scallops, swimming crab, bamboo mushroom with shrimp and a combo of veggies (napa cabbage, mushroom, spinach, taro). 

Meal combo @Jiyu Hotpot

The presentation was just so delightful, a feast of the eyes! It was almost a shame to remove the food from the display so that we can cook them. Our server helped cook some of the items, which took 1-2 minutes each type/batch. The food was just delicious and the seafood was fresh–we know since we saw crab tanks near the kitchen. We were in seafood heaven. While there was an array of sauces at the counter, we were quite content to just have the seafood with the Tom Yum broth. We did partake of the shrimp crackers and edamame on the side, which we could get to our hearts’ content.

Meal combo @Jiyu Hotpot

Our meal also came with onion rings and fried rice, and as well, All You Can Eat dessert. They had a nice selection of mini cakes (such as mango, tiramisu), grass jelly, pudding, fruits and even soft serve ice cream. It was not the cheapest of meals but it was worth it for us as we were quite full and very happy. Both the quality of the food and the service were very good. I will try my darndest not to crave their Tom Yum soup. I just hope I last until the next occasion to celebrate. 

All you can eat dessert @Jiyu Hotpot