Thai Noodle Night

Thai Noodle Guay Tiew Thai

62 Vaughan Road

Toronto, ON 

416-652-0200

Date Visited:  February 21, 2014

Once called Taste of Thai House, the space at 62 Vaughan Road at the intersection of Vaughan Road and St. Clair Avenue West, is now Thai Noodle.  From the Yelp reviews, the renovations occurred early in November of 2013 when it was still Taste of Thai House.  So some questions arise... Is the new Thai Noodle owned by the same owners of Thai House?  Is this Thai Noodle Guay Tiew Thai related to the one of the same name that closed recently on Baldwin in Kensington Market?

Whatever the case may be, the Urban Foodie decided to check out the new Thai Noodle.

One of the dishes that were ordered was the Home Style Pad Thai ($11.99).  It is on the sweet side but not as sweet as the Pad Thai offered at the often lauded Sukho Thai.  It comes with the standard Pad Thai ingredients such as chicken, peanuts, been sprouts, tofu and green onions.  On top were two jumbo shrimp.  Tiny dried shrimp, not a usual ingredient, were a welcome addition scattered throughout.  The salty dried shrimp cut through the sweetness.

The Pad Thai was small in quantity

Beef Khao Soi ($11.99) was also ordered.  Northern Thai Khao Soi is a dish that contains fried and boiled egg noodles in a curry-like sauce containing coconut milk.  This particular preparation also had red onions and pickled mustard greens.  Artistically speaking, the fried noodles could have been stacked higher.  The friend noodles were also way too salty.  The curry was rich however and infused the tender beef pieces with flavour.  Some of the beef pieces had a gelatinous, cartilage layer which just made the beef even better (if you like that kind of thing).

It was surprising that the Chicken Panaeng Curry ($10.99) did not come with any rice.  But it was definitely the best dish of the night.  The curry was rich and thick.  It was aromatic with excellent flavour.     

The Jasmine rice ($1.99) that was ordered was creatively served in a star shaped format.  

While there were hits and misses, a trip to Thai Noodle can be warranted for a casual night out.

Ocean Seafood Restaurant

Ocean Seafood Restaurant

328 Highway 7 E

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1A1

(905) 889-0829

I am often intrigued by Hong Kong style cafés because their dishes are influenced by the British Empire.  Having been a British colony for over 150 years, Hong Kong culture has typically been called, "East meets West."  The food is no exception. What other Chinese establishment has Westernized breakfast items such as bacon, eggs, macaroni, spaghetti, and luncheon meat?  

I personally crave those unique baked rice dishes - rice on the bottom, meat and vegetables on top, all smothered in a rich sauce and baked to perfection.  When done correctly, the sauce bubbles and has burnt brown spots which add a "crunchy" texture to every bite!

A popular choice is usually baked pork chops on rice with a tomato sauce. This visit, I opted for baked chicken with Portuguese  sauce on rice ($5.99). The Portuguese sauce was delicious - it tasted like a mild curry coconut sauce. 

You get amazing value with these dishes as they are all in the $5 to $6 range. Included in your price is a coffee or tea - an extra charge of $0.70 is added for a cold drink. I requested for a black milk tea. 

During my visit, I also ordered a fried rice noodle with beef and soy sauce ($5.99 - which also includes a free drink). It was up to par in taste when compared with most Chinese establishments but it was noticeable more greasy than desired. 

The service is typical for most Chinese establishments - efficient yet usually not very personable. This visit, one of the dishes came significantly later than the other, which took away from the experience. 

All in all, I would still return for those signature baked dishes - the next time I get a craving.