Day #9 of vacation: Bingz Crispy Burger with Ronsee and Val. Yes, Bingz has finally opened up their first location outside of China and it's in Toronto. We actually didn't even know what Bingz was until Ronsee kept seeing a huge line-up outside the door every time he passed by the plaza, so he finally looked it up to see what the hype was all about. Bingz specializes in "Chinese crispy burgers" — the "buns" are made out of the same flaky dough as Shanghai-style shredded turnip or beef pastry pies, which is what makes them distinctly crispy. There are five burger options on their menu but today, there were only two options actually available, so each of us just got both.
The Signature Crispy Burger
BBQ Mushroom Crispy Burger
The first one, The Signature, is filled with slow-cooked pork butt with natural spices. The texture and flavour is somewhere in between flaked tuna and pulled pork; it's mild in heat but savoury. Honestly, I see why it's the signature because it's the one that will be the most palatable to everyone, especially those who aren't used to eating spicy foods. It's good, and it's the one you should probably start with if it's your first time trying Bingz. The second one we got was the BBQ Mushroom, which actually wouldn't have been my first choice just looking at the menu — because if I'm gonna get a burger, it's definitely not gonna be vegetarian — but it actually ended up being my favourite out of the two. It's made with stir-fried oyster and baby mushrooms that is packed full of flavour (I think it's Chinese five spice?) and actually has a decent amount of heat to it. Those who don't eat spice often will probably find this fairly hot, but for me, it was actually perfect. Obviously, the texture of mushrooms is not similar to meat, but it doesn't really matter here. The mushrooms have a nice firm chew to them that makes it very satisfying and rather addictive to eat.
Liangpi with Chili Oil Sauce
Hot & Sour Glass Noodles
The second one we tried was the Hot & Sour Glass Noodles, which is made with sweet potato glass noodles in chicken soup with chicken shreds, pickled mustard, chili oil, and crispy chickpeas. This one is definitely not gonna be for everyone. The contents itself are great, but the flavour is a hit or miss. It has that numbing heat that you get from Sichuan peppercorns that gets progressively spicier as you eat it. I'm personally not huge on this type of spice, but what really made it a miss for me was the cilantro (there is a lot of it, and it tastes like soap to me). Still, Ronsee ended up having to eat almost the whole thing (Val can't take too much spice and also hates cilantro) and really enjoyed it, so as I said, hit or miss. But I do see why this place is so damn popular — the crispy burgers are a totally unique offering, and they combine classic Chinese comfort food flavours in the fillings, so they're really addictive to eat. I will be back again, if only to try the two other burgers — Black Pepper Beef and Cumin Pork — that I couldn't get today. Gotta do my research properly, you know.
The first one, The Signature, is filled with slow-cooked pork butt with natural spices. The texture and flavour is somewhere in between flaked tuna and pulled pork; it's mild in heat but savoury. Honestly, I see why it's the signature because it's the one that will be the most palatable to everyone, especially those who aren't used to eating spicy foods. It's good, and it's the one you should probably start with if it's your first time trying Bingz. The second one we got was the BBQ Mushroom, which actually wouldn't have been my first choice just looking at the menu — because if I'm gonna get a burger, it's definitely not gonna be vegetarian — but it actually ended up being my favourite out of the two. It's made with stir-fried oyster and baby mushrooms that is packed full of flavour (I think it's Chinese five spice?) and actually has a decent amount of heat to it. Those who don't eat spice often will probably find this fairly hot, but for me, it was actually perfect. Obviously, the texture of mushrooms is not similar to meat, but it doesn't really matter here. The mushrooms have a nice firm chew to them that makes it very satisfying and rather addictive to eat.
The second one we tried was the Hot & Sour Glass Noodles, which is made with sweet potato glass noodles in chicken soup with chicken shreds, pickled mustard, chili oil, and crispy chickpeas. This one is definitely not gonna be for everyone. The contents itself are great, but the flavour is a hit or miss. It has that numbing heat that you get from Sichuan peppercorns that gets progressively spicier as you eat it. I'm personally not huge on this type of spice, but what really made it a miss for me was the cilantro (there is a lot of it, and it tastes like soap to me). Still, Ronsee ended up having to eat almost the whole thing (Val can't take too much spice and also hates cilantro) and really enjoyed it, so as I said, hit or miss. But I do see why this place is so damn popular — the crispy burgers are a totally unique offering, and they combine classic Chinese comfort food flavours in the fillings, so they're really addictive to eat. I will be back again, if only to try the two other burgers — Black Pepper Beef and Cumin Pork — that I couldn't get today. Gotta do my research properly, you know.
Bingz Crispy Burger (西少爷肉夹馍)
First Markham Place
3229 Highway 7, Unit 11-12
Markham, ON L3R 3P3
(905) 604-3229
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