Dining Out: Thanksgiving Dinner 2026 at Swiss Chalet

As per Thanksgiving tradition, I spent the day binge-watching Season 1 of Gilmore Girls and then went for dinner with my mom at Swiss Chalet. We got there just before 6:00PM so we didn't have to wait for a table, but we did notice an increase in big families there, so clearly more and more people are realizing that cooking Thanksgiving dinner at home is totally not worth it. (Which is fair. Also, chicken is honestly just so much better than turkey.)

Chalet chicken soup
Thanksgiving Feast: Quarter rotisserie chicken with stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, and dinner roll
Pumpkin pie

We got the Thanksgiving Feast, of course, but this is the first year that they wouldn't let us add an extra quarter chicken to make a double-leg dinner (which is what we do every year because a quarter chicken dinner is never enough for us). Not sure if it's because the kitchen wouldn't have enough dark meat for other customers (in this area, people generally prefer dark meat to white meat, which is fair, because same) or if the management changed and they can't figure out how to charge the Thanksgiving Feast with an extra quarter chicken (which, frankly, would make them morons), so I'm hoping it's the former. I ended up getting the chicken soup to start instead, which is always tasty and comforting. It is somewhat overpriced at $5.99 per bowl but I figured out what they do with all that extra white meat they don't sell.

I obviously got the pumpkin pie for dessert because it's the only time of year that I can get it, and as per tradition, I am left wishing I got the pecan or apple pie instead. Anyway, I hope everyone had a safe and delicious Thanksgiving!

Swiss Chalet

Markville Mall

5070 Highway 7

Markham, ON L3R 4M9

(905) 305-1809

Take Out: Mango Pomelo Mochi from Mochi Lab

So, this is super random, but when I went to see my optometrist (who is a pretty hardcore foodie) last month, we started talking about restaurants in Koreatown North because I told her about my BTS food pilgrimage, and she highly, highly recommended Mochi Lab. In fact, she recommended it more than any other eatery in the area, and she's eaten almost everywhere along Yonge Street from Finch to Sheppard. I mentioned this to Minji who, as it turns out, is also obsessed with Mochi Lab, so since we were in the area, she insisted to take me there for my first visit.

Mango Pomelo mochi with butter crunch crumbs

Mochi Lab is a tiny take out-only shop that has just enough room for a little kitchen area, a counter partition, and a very narrow front area that has just enough room for a kiosk to order from and maybe four to five people to stand in. We got there around 4:00PM and there was a constant line-up at the kiosk, though this must've been a "slow" period because some reviews have said that the wait is over 30 minutes, but both Minji and I got ours within five minutes. Now, they recommend eating their mochi within 24 hours, but it's obviously ideal to eat them right away to get maximum freshness. However, there's no room in the store to eat these, so you have to go elsewhere. Luckily, there are a lot of random parks and playgrounds in this area, so there's actually plenty of choice for benches and cement blocks to sit on. Thus, we took headed over to an empty playground so Daniel could play with Lillian and Minji and I could devour our mochi. 

Mango Pomelo mochi with butter crunch crumbs

I decided to get the Mango Pomelo Mochi ($13.99 + tax), which consists of fresh mango and pomelo layered in cream cheese, all wrapped in mochi and then coated in butter crunch crumbs. Apparently, they used to just wrap their mochi up in parchment paper so they got messy real fast, but they put them in wax paper-lined bowls with lids now and provide forks, so it's much easier to eat (and store, if you aren't eating it right away). Now, I will be the first to admit that these are not photogenic. But for what they lack in looks, they totally make up for in UTTER DELICIOUSNESS. 

The mochi itself is super soft, super pillowy, and super stretchy with just the perfect amount of chew. It is wrapped tightly around a very generous mound of filling — I counted no less than six giant chunks of mango. Mine actually didn't have a lot of pomelo in it, so it was definitely more mango-forward, but I'm not mad about it because, frankly, I got this more for the mango than the pomelo. The cream cheese filling is mild and fluffy, and I think the slight salty tang tempers the ultra-sweet fruit really well. It is expensive for what it is, but in a city where we pay $8 for bubble tea now, I actually think $15 is fair for what I got — especially since the mochi is bigger than my palm. That having been said, I'm glad I don't live near here because my diabetic ass would be tempted to get one every damn day...

Mochi Lab

10 Northtown Way, Unit 112

North York, ON M2N 7L4

(416) 225-8885

Dining Out: Half and Half Mandu, Bossam Kalguksu, and Haemul Pajeon at OnGi Korean Noodle & Soup

There's a new Korean noodle restaurant that just opened up in Koreatown North called OnGi that I've been seeing all over IG, and as I was in the middle of drooling, I sent one of the reels over to Minji to make plans to eat there immediately. And what better time to go than during Thanksgiving long weekend?

Half and half mandu (kimchi and pork with vegetables)

We ordered the half and half mandu (that includes three kimchi dumplings and three pork and veg dumplings) and the haemul pajeon (seafood pancake) to share, and then Daniel and I both decided on the bossam kalguksu (knife-cut noodle soup with steamed pork) while Minji got the tteokguk (rice cake soup). They also give each table a big container of geotjeori kimchi as a side dish. It is crisp, sweet, garlicky, and ULTRA-ADDICTIVE. Eat it with everything. You won't regret it.

The mandu are huge and plump and — most importantly — retain their moisture. I find that once mandu cool down, they get kinda grainy and dry, but these ones don't. I preferred the kimchi ones as the pork ones were just a little too bland for me (though Daniel preferred the pork ones because he can't eat spice and Minji liked both equally, so it's really subjective here), but overall, the mandu here are delicious. You can add two mandu to any bowl of noodles for $4.99, but an order of six is $15.95, so if you have people to share with or just have a really hearty appetite, it's well worth it to get a full order.

Bossam kalguksu
Next, the noodles. The pièce de résistance, and for good reason. The kalguksu here is SUBLIME. Smooth and springy with a great chew and overall mouthfeel. They're served in a rich, flavourful, perfectly salted, almost milky beef broth that is so addictive that I actually drank half the broth on its own once I finished the noodles. This is noteworthy because I usually leave the broth due to sodium overload but IT IS WORTH EVERY DAMN SIP HERE. Also the bossam is soft and tender and juicy and flavourful, and will absolutely up your kalguksu game. This bowl of noodles was worth every goddamn penny.

Haemul pajeon

Finally, the haemul pajeon arrived. The variation here is thicker than the usual pajeon, but also way more jam-packed with seafood and green onions. It seems like it was double-battered just to hold the sheer amount of ingredients in it, because it had a phenomenally crunchy texture, almost as if it was deep-fried. Basically, it's a HEFTY boy and Minji and I agreed — it's our new favourite haemul pajeon in the city. (Her toddler also agreed with an "MMMM!!!") However, if you prefer thin pajeon, then you might not enjoy this one as much... but frankly, it's worth trying, anyway.

Overall, the portions are great, value is excellent, service is friendly and efficient, and the space is cozy and spotlessly clean. It currently holds a 4.9 rating on Google, and I actually think it's well-deserved. (Note: We got there around 2:45PM today and didn't have to wait for a table, but there was a steady stream of customers for the entire hour that we were there. So if you're coming on a weekend day, I would definitely avoid prime meal hours if you don't want to line-up.)

OnGi Korean Noodle & Soup

5529 Yonge St.

North York, ON M2N 5S3

(647) 435-2700

Run BTS! 2.0: BTS in Toronto Ep. 1

• Yoongi speed-walking like a grandpa is the cutest thing I have ever seen. 
• Jungkook is truly a genius-level troll.
• Yoongi self-eliminating to avoid having to play a game is the most Yoongi-coded thing I've ever seen.  
• The unbridled laughter of these seven men playing children's games is the ultimate balm to soothe the soul. 
• Sorry, but poutine without cheese curds is not poutine. 
• Yoongi, Jin, and Jimin are wrong about avocados, but I guess everyone has to be wrong sometimes. 
• The "I'll think about it" debate is truly dependent on context. If a friend asked me, "Do you want to see the Backstreet Boys next year?" I'd reply, "I'll think about it," because I'd actually need to think about it. But if a co-worker asked me, "Do you want to go to the Christmas party?" I'd reply, "I'll think about it," but what I really mean is, "No."
• I love that "X-nailing" a mosquito bite is universal.
• I would 100% rather wash someone else than have someone wash me, unless I absolutely had no choice (like, as Namjoon says, I broke all my limbs). But if I were a BTS member? I could really go either way...
• I love that they've been idols for so long that they would have to discuss with their protocol team on how to handle a situation wherein one of their members turned into a zombie.
• My god. I haven't laughed this much in a very long time. My cheeks hurt. My eyes have sweat actual tears. I have missed Run BTS! so fucking much.

BTS VLOG: RM's Trip to Niagara Falls

I am so glad Namjoon found the time to do such quality Namjooning in Canada. 🥰🇨🇦

ARIH Dual Biotic Soda in Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon + Energy Drink in Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour

Okay, so ARIH's drinks were finally released in Canada at the end of August. This was actually sooner than I had anticipated since brands have to adhere to Canada's packaging (all wording has to be bilingual in English and French) as well as Health Canada's regulations (on top of approving all ingredients, they've added warning labels at the top right corner of all food/drink packaging if the product is high in sugar, cholesterol, etc.). Like the ARIH noodles, the drinks seem to be exclusive to PC (President's Choice) retailers here, like Loblaws, Real Canadian Superstore, and Shoppers Drug Mart.

I originally wasn't going to get the drinks because I thought they were going to be insanely high in sugar, but when Iris was at Loblaws getting them and asked if I wanted any, I asked her to take photos of the nutritional value tables for me. And surprise of all surprises — the Dual Biotic Sodas are only 20 calories with 1 gram of sugar and the Energy Drinks are only 10 calories with 0 grams of sugar (!!!). This is TREMENDOUSLY good news for those who are health-conscious, diabetic, or just watching their sugar intake in general. Basically: I CAN DRINK THESE!!!

ARIH Dual Biotic Soda in Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon
I asked Iris to get me two of each flavour. Like the noodles, ARIH have only released three flavours for each drink type in Canada instead of all seven. (Hoping this is for market testing only and not the permanent line-up here.) So for the Dual Biotic Soda, we got Red Ruby Galore, Clear Lemon, and Peach Mango Horizon; for the Energy Drink, we got Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour. They're currently retailing for $2.49 per can, which is actually on par with independent pop brands and cheaper than most energy drink brands. Basically, I think the pricing is very fair, though I do wish they would sell them by case instead of by can. (Indeed, Iris, who also got two of each flavour for herself, had to place a total of 24 cans on the supermarket conveyor belt to be scanned and had to bag them all by herself. I did thank her profusely.)

Now, having had all of September to try these, I will say: I like the Dual Biotic Sodas more than the Energy Drinks. There wasn't a single flavour of the Dual Biotic Sodas that I didn't like, though the Red Ruby Galore ended up being my favourite. While the sodas are obviously carbonated, they have a very smooth, almost milky finish — closer to a can of Milkis than Sprite. I'm guessing this is because of the pre- and postbiotics in the drinks (basically, they help with gut health over time). I would definitely buy the Dual Biotic Sodas again. I hope they bring the other four flavours into the Canadian market at some point, though — Pineapple Drift and Apple Flare sound AMAZING.

ARIH Energy Drink in Tropical Wave, Lemon Crest, and Orange Hour

The Energy Drinks actually have 100mg of caffeine in each 355ml can, which is about the same as an average 8-ounce cup of coffee. (For reference, a can of Red Bull of the same size has 114mg.) The Tropical Wave flavour ended up being my favourite, but they all have a kind of bitter chemical aftertaste — not sure if this is from the coffee bean/guarana extract they use for the caffeine, or if it's from the sugar alcohols, or if it's from the postbiotics. (However, the Dual Biotic Sodas also have sugar alcohols and postbiotics and don't have this aftertaste.) The Orange Hour was the worst of the three in terms of flavour and had the strongest aftertaste. I do have to admit that I am not an energy drink person — I prefer to get my caffeine from coffee and tea — and I likely won't re-buy these, but I still prefer them to most of the other energy drinks on the market.

BTS EPISODE: ARIRANG World Tour in Europe Sketch

Sigh, watching any ARIRANG tour footage just makes me miss them all over again. Watching this also makes me sad because it just reminds me that both the banner projects and the light projects that were prepared for Toronto all failed so miserably. I know Day 1 couldn't be helped because of the weather, but no one seemed to remember the projects for Day 2, either. Hell, I didn't even get a banner for Day 2, and I think it was the first BTS concert that I have ever been to that didn't have ARMY holding up banners. THE. UTTER. REGRET. 😩

Run BTS! 2.0: BTS in Toronto — Preview

As someone from Toronto, it makes me feel strangely honoured that BTS has now filmed multiple Run BTS! episodes here over two visits (Episodes 69/70/71 were filmed in 2018 and released in 2019). I knew that they had quite a bit of free time while they were in Toronto back in August, judging from all their restaurant jaunts and the BTS staff's (and RM's) adventures in Niagara Falls, but I really wasn't expecting them to film anything official here so this is a delightfully pleasant surprise. Can't wait to watch Part 1 next Tuesday!

Dining Out: Stir-Fried Beef & Snow Pea Claypot and Seafood & Egg Dumpling Soup Claypot at Miss Qu Claypot & BBQ

Went back to Miss Qu Claypot & BBQ, this time for dinner with my mom:

Stir-fried beef and snow pea claypot
Seafood and egg dumpling soup claypot

Both of these were delicious — savoury but not too salty; great contrast in textures and flavours; excellent balance of meat/seafood and vegetables; good portions while being pretty reasonably priced. We also got a side of steamed lotus buns (not pictured because, frankly, they're not that exciting to look at) because we weren't in the mood for rice, and they were perfect to stuff all that beef in. Like the tofu and seafood soup claypot I had last time, the seafood and egg dumpling one is also mellow and comforting — perfect for this cooler weather.

We got to the restaurant around 5:15PM today and there were actually quite a few tables filled already (mostly families with kids), but by the time 6:00PM rolled around, there was a line-up out the door with people continually coming in to add their names to the wait list. It was actually crazy, given that it's a MONDAY. (As it turns out, the hype is REAL.) So, fair warning, either go early or go late, otherwise you'll be waiting at least 45 minutes for a table. But I gotta say, I do see why it's so busy here because I've only been here twice and I'm quite impressed with the food and the service. I can definitely see it becoming one of my go-to Chinese restaurants once the hype dies down a little. 

Miss Qu Claypot & BBQ

3828 Highway 7, Unit 2

Markham, ON L3R 0B5

(905) 415-9900

Dining Out: Mid-Autumn Festival 2026 Dinner at NKS Banquet Hall

Another Mid-Autumn Festival dinner at NKS Banquet Hall, but with just my mom and her bestie:

Stir-fried beef tenderloin with celery, snow peas, and cashews
Deep-fried stuffed Chinese sausage and mushroom tofu with broccoli
Stir-fried gai lan with garlic
Crispy skin free-range chicken with shrimp chips

Got all our favourites, of course. We were contemplating getting Peking duck again, but the restaurant actually had a curated menu just for Mid-Autumn Festival and when we saw that Peking duck was a whopping $65.99 just for today, we did a hard pass. (They do a $25.99 Peking duck special on Tuesdays. I think if it was double the price, we still would've gone for it. But more than that? No, thanks.) Not a huge loss, though, because their other dishes are delicious enough on their own; they're always cooked perfectly and we always leave satisfied, and tonight was no different. No moon cakes for me because they're too expensive (seriously, $12+ for one), too high in sugar, and frankly, I don't even like them. But I made up for it by having a scoop of Kawartha Dairy's Death by Chocolate ice cream at home while looking at the full moon from my window.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!

NKS Banquet Hall

New Kennedy Square

8360 Kennedy Rd., Unit B06

Markham, ON L3R 9W5

(905) 948-8668

BTS EPISODE: ARIRANG World Tour Practice Sketch

Jimin: "It's fine, it looks good overall!"

Jin: "We're pulling it off!"

Taehyung: "We're just not in sync!"

Sigh, I can't believe the North American leg of the tour is over. Seven months of waiting and intense anticipation… and the concerts happened in the blink of an eye. It's been a month since they were in Toronto and I am still suffering from post-concert blues.

BTS — "Merry Go Round" Official MV

"Merry Go Round" is about pure desolation, melancholy, and struggling with depression — it's by far the saddest song off of ARIRANG, and one of the most profoundly sad songs from BTS in general. 

I wish that I could tell you that it's over

I wish that I could walk away from pain

My life is like a broken roller coaster

But maybe I'm the only one to blame

I can't get off this merry go round

It spins me around 

I do my best, but I can't slow down

This merry go round

And I, I can't get off of this ride

I can't get off of this ride

I try, this happens every time

I can't get off of this ride

Feel like I'm all grown up now

But I still got the same old doubts

Every day on this merry go round

Feel like I'm stuck on this hamster wheel

Oh, questions with no answers

Running through this maze

We're all just smiling 

Like everything's okay, everything

I wish that I could tell you that it's over

I wish that I could walk away from pain

My life is like a broken roller coaster

But maybe I'm the only one to blame

I can't get off this merry go round

It spins me around 

I do my best, but I can't slow down

This merry go round

And I, I can't get off of this ride

I can't get off of this ride

I try, this happens every time

I can't get off of this ride

Spinnin' up, down

Just round and round

I'm fallin' apart

Still bound to ground

Can't break out of these chains

My inner child cries out

I've had enough of this ride

Please take me out, ma

My bed is my coffin

My whole world feels like caffeine

Every day, walk into death

Can't I turn off this dream

'Cause I can't stop dancing

Just thinking and thinking and thinking and think

Thinking about how I should stop thinking

Round and round, are you happy?

Smile 'til the end for me

It took three months, but they finally released this MV for everyone. This MV was originally released for Spotify Premium members only, which was extremely disappointing because BigHit has never had to put BTS' MVs behind a pay wall before and I vehemently disagree with this practice. And I still refuse to pay for Spotify.

BTS at iHeartRadio Music Festival 2026: "2.0," "MIC Drop," and "FYA" Live Performances

Frankly, I don't care about iHeartRadio unless BTS is on, and fuck, they killed the stage here. I especially love the badass, hip hop-driven setlist, because as fun and radio-friendly as "Dynamite" and "Butter" are (and sadly, what they're most known for in the West), this is what BTS really is to me. I'm really glad that, after nine years, they still choose to perform "MIC Drop" — and the Korean version, to boot. (In the US especially, they usually perform the full English version, and it's just a subtle flex that they know they're so globally relevant that they can sing the original version.) Also, I don't know if it's because they're in the middle of their world tour right now, but they just fucking dominated this stage like it's their own concert and not performing as part of a music festival.

Dining Out: Mid-Autumn Festival 2026 Family Banquet Dinner at NKS Banquet Hall

Had a big nine-person banquet dinner/fam jam for Mid-Autumn Festival at NKS Banquet Hall:

Peking duck
Seafood egg white drop soup
Stir-fried Cantonese garlic ginger lobster
Baby bok choy with enoki mushrooms
Shredded Peking duck with lettuce cups
Deep-fried panko-crusted oysters
Steamed bass with scallions and ginger in soy sauce
Deep-fried garlic chili pork ribs
Sweet and sour pork

This is the first time that I've come here for a multi-course Chinese banquet dinner, which was quite exciting because that means we got to try so many more dishes. Everything was delicious, but the Peking duck and deep-fried oysters were definite highlights for me. (I always want to get the Peking duck here and my mom always say we'll come on a Tuesday because it's half-price, but we never end up making it.) I haven't been back here since February for Chinese New Year dinner, and I am happy to report that NKS is still just as excellent and underrated as ever before. (And also fantastic value — all this food was just under $40 a head after tax and tip. Anywhere else, it'd be at least $50 per person.) 

Happy Asian Thanksgiving!

NKS Banquet Hall

New Kennedy Square

8360 Kennedy Rd., Unit B06

Markham, ON L3R 9W5

(905) 948-8668

Take Out: Margherita and Custom Pizzas from Piazza Italian Eatery & Mercato

Pizza and game night at Chelsea's!

Got some delicious pizzas from Piazza Italian Eatery & Mercato: two Margheritas (this was my vote, which I admit is safe and can be boring, but it's CLASSIC and I find is the best pie to see how authentic the place is), two mushroom and pepperoni pizzas (also pretty safe), and a Make Your Own Pizza that Brayden chose that had way too much stuff on it (but honestly ended up being pretty damn tasty). Chelsea also got a gluten-free Hawaiian pizza for herself because she's allergic to basically everything. We didn't touch this one, but she insists it was amazing. 

Margherita: Tomato sauce, fior di latte, parmigiano, fresh basil, olive oil, and balsamic glaze
Pepperoni and mushroom pizza
Make Your Own Pizza: Tomato sauce, mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, sweet bell peppers, mushrooms, and caramelized onions

We then played 11 rounds of Five Crowns, took their dogs for a long walk around the neighbourhood, and then indulged in pistachio and raspberry gelato while watching Gilmore Girls re-runs. Indeed, it was a pretty perfect Saturday night in.

Piazza Italian Eatery & Mercato

15198 Yonge St.

Aurora, ON L4G 1L9

(905) 727-9911