Dining Out: Jjamppong and Jajangmyeon at Jeon Ju Hyang

Went to watch the BTS World Tour: ARIRANG Live Viewing in Goyang this afternoon at the movie theatre with Iris (frankly, the only time I step foot into movie theatres is for BTS — I haven't heard of 90% of the movies playing right now), and was spectacularly impressed with quite literally everything: the 360° stage; their outfits (I know they always look amazing, but they do half of the concert in the same leather-clad gothic anime pirate villain outfits as in the "Hooligan" MV, and it is OUTRAGEOUSLY SEXY); the perfect live vocals and harmonies; the charisma, stage presence, and general swagginess. 

The setlist does seem shorter this tour, but they performed nearly every single song from ARIRANG (with the exception of "One More Night," for some reason, and "No. 29," obviously — but they even debuted their vinyl-exclusive track, "Come Over," which I'm hoping will be released on streaming platforms soon because it is too gorgeous to require a record player to listen to), which they haven't done with any of their previous albums — they usually integrate a lot more of their discography into any given tour setlist. I was a little bummed that they didn't include more older songs — they did perform "Fake Love," "Not Today," "MIC Drop," "IDOL," "Butter", and "Dynamite" (basically, the stadium bangers) — but they have introduced a new segment we've never seen before called BTS Karaoke, during which two songs from their discography are randomly chosen for them to perform, and it is wildly amusing to see them try to remember their old lyrics and/or choreography. Looks like they'll be doing two different tracks every night on this tour (today's concert included "Take Two" and "DNA," though Thursday's concert had "Mikrokosmos" and "I Need U," so it does seem truly random). I'm not sure if the core setlist will change over the course of this tour, but I can't wait to see what songs they'll pick for the Toronto dates.  

Jjamppong
Jajangmyeon

Now, normally, we would go get Korean fried chicken after a BTS live viewing and/or documentary, but in an effort to be marginally healthier (like, really marginally), we decided to get some Korean Chinese food at Jeon Ju Hyang instead. They don't offer tangsuyuk, but we did get jjamppong (my personal fave) and jajangmyeon to share. And I gotta say, after many tries, I still can't get into jajangmyeon. I know it's beloved by Koreans, but it's just too... one-note? I mean, I've never been a huge fan of lo mein or "stirred" noodles to begin with, but I think jajangmyeon is just a bit too slimy? Anyway, it worked out in the end — Iris can't eat that much spice (we actually ordered mild, but even black pepper gets too spicy for her), so she wanted more of the jajangmyeon, anyway. Jjamppong will always be the winner for me.

Jeon Ju Hyang

5694 Highway 7

Markham, ON L3P 1B4

(905) 201-1002

Dining Out: Duck Meat Udon with Onsen Egg and Assorted Tempura at Hinode Udon and Tempura

After seeing multiple reels about it on IG, I finally went to try out Hinode for lunch this afternoon with Minji and Daniel:

Duck meat udon with onsen egg

I got the duck meat udon, one of their bestsellers, and added an onsen egg for $2.50 plus a side of shrimp tempura for $6.99. The udon comes with a thermal pitcher of broth on the side so you can control how much soup you want with your noodles. The udon, which is made in-house, is the star here — it's slightly thicker than other udon noodles I've had and has a silky, bouncy texture with an excellent chew. The duck meat is tender, smoky, and savoury and works well with the broth, which has a very light, mild flavour. I plopped the onsen egg right into the bowl and mixed it into the noodles and broth, which added a really nice rich, creamy texture. It is the first time in my life that I finished all the broth in my noodle soup.

Assorted tempura

The tempura is lovely — airy, golden, and perfectly crispy. I added a side of three shrimp tempura to my udon for $6.99, but we did also get the assorted tempura appetizer for $11.99. While the quality of the tempura is significantly better than Japanese AYCE places (which tend to be too oily, soggy, or over-battered), my palate couldn't really discern it from many other Japanese restaurants. $11.99 is pretty steep for two shrimp and three vegetable tempura (today's variety was yam, eggplant, and enoki mushrooms), but I do think it was worth it to add three shrimp tempura to my udon for $6.99. (Hinode does somewhat remind me of Hanamaru Udon in Japan but, you know, not a chain. And way more expensive.)

With add-ons, eating here can get pretty pricey, but the food is delicious and comforting (especially nice after the BTS ticketing mayhem yesterday!). It's not a huge space, so I imagine it'd be quite busy during dinner service and on weekends, but on this Friday afternoon around 1:00PM, we got a table right away (though turnaround is relatively quick, with a stay time of around 30 minutes per table — and there's a section near the back specifically for solo diners). I don't find Hinode unique enough to go out of my way to come here, but would definitely eat here again if I'm in the area. In any case, it's a great option to have with this city's over-saturated ramen market.

Hinode Udon and Tempura

324 Highway 7, Unit 3

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1A6

(647) 542-7768

Dining Out: Gimmari and Beef Noodle Soup at Jeon Ju Hyang

Since I'm still getting over my cold, it was obviously time for more noodle soup. So I went back to Jeon Ju Hyang with my mom. I don't know if they've always had this combo deal on their menu or if it's apart of the revamp they seem to have had in the last year, but they offer an appetizer + noodle + can of pop combo for $24.99, which I think is a pretty good value. There's six options each for the appetizer and the noodle dish, so I decided on the gimmari and the beef noodle soup.

Gimmari
Beef noodle soup

For some reason, I'd never gotten any of the appetizers here, but the gimmari is freaking delicious, chockfull of glass noodles and super crispy on the outside. Would absolutely order again, even without the combo. The beef noodle soup was good, but I do think the chicken version here is better — I'm not sure if it's the way they marinade their chicken or the way they cook it, but I prefer the flavour of it more than the beef, which seems more ginger-forward. Regardless, either one works perfectly if you've got a cold. (Ask for more tissues, though — you will have to blow your nose at least a dozen times throughout the meal as the steam works it's way through your nasal passages...)

Jeon Ju Hyang

5694 Highway 7

Markham, ON L3P 1B4

(905) 201-1002

Dining Out: Jjamppong (Spicy Seafood Noodle Soup) at Jeon Ju Hyang

It was inevitable after too little sleep and traveling on a plane: I caught a cold. After three straight days of honey lemon water and canned soup, I needed real food. Which means a big fat bowl of noodle soup.

Jjamppong

I used to go to Jeon Ju Hyang with my mom at least twice a month. But I'd actually been boycotting them because I got COVID from a server there last January, right before my trip to Asia. (I know it was that specific server, too, because he was coughing over my food while carrying it to the table WITHOUT A MASK ON. I felt sick the next day and took a COVID rapid test and it came out positive. Like, SUPER DARK LINES. I lost my sense of taste for over a week and will never forgive that smug teenage motherfucker.) But I decided to give them a try again because I very specifically wanted their jjamppong and the craving was unreal. And, you know, it's been nearly two years. It was time to let go of my grudge.

Turns out, they've had a bit of an overhaul — completely new staff, a revamped menu, and it seems like new ownership, too. (Except the BTS poster they've had up since opening is still there, which is what really matters.) But most importantly, the jjamppong is just as delicious and satisfying as I remember it. So, consider my boycott over. 

Jeon Ju Hyang

5694 Highway 7

Markham, ON L3P 1B4

(905) 201-1002

Dining Out: Satay Beef Noodle Soup, Egg & Luncheon Meat Sandwich, and Hong Kong-Style French Toast at Neighbourhood Cafe

New Hong Kong cafe alert! I saw Neighbourhood Cafe featured in multiple IG reels recently so I suggested going there for an early dinner with Minji and Daniel (my fellow cha chaan teng fiends).

Satay beef noodle soup
Egg and luncheon meat sandwich
Hong Kong-style French toast
Neighbourhood Cafe offers a fairly big variety of HK cafe foods, but I ultimately decided to go with the satay beef noodle soup set, which comes an egg sandwich (to which I added slices of luncheon meat for $2) for just under $14. Got an unsweetened iced HK lemon tea on the side, and shared the peanut butter-filled Hong Kong-style French toast for dessert. Everything I had was excellent and honestly better than I expected — they don't skimp on flavour, portions, or freshness of ingredients. The value is great considering the cost of dining out now, and there are even better deals for breakfast and afternoon tea sets. Service is also friendly and incredibly efficient. 

Having eaten at many HK cafes around the GTA, I would absolutely come here again over other similar restaurants — as long as it's during off-hours. We came here just after 5:30PM for an early dinner and didn't have to wait for a table and found parking right away, but by the time we left around 7:00PM, the parking lot was packed with tons of cars waiting for available spots. So, be warned. 

Neighbourhood Cafe

9021 Leslie St., Unit 4

Richmond Hill, ON L4B 0B2

(905) 707-8885

Dining Out: Wonton and Beef Brisket Noodle Soup at Wonton Hut

There's one place that I go to eat at least twice a month and that is Wonton Hut.

Wonton and beef brisket noodle soup

For some reason, I never post about it, maybe because it's so ingrained into my dining routine, like fast food for some people. But they make, in my opinion, one of the best wonton noodle soups in all of the GTA. Honestly, better than the ones I've had in Hong Kong. (To be fair, it's owned and run by Hong Kongers, but still.) I always get the wonton noodle soup, sometimes with flat rice noodles instead of the typical Chinese egg noodles or with beef brisket added in, but it is ALWAYS delicious. Their wontons are made in-house and are huge and plump and filled with whole shrimp, and the broth is flavourful and perfectly salted. Anyway, the weather is gloomy AF today (it is April and we quite literally have had an ice storm and freezing rain — indeed, Canadian spring is a joke), so I decided to get a bowl of wonton and beef brisket noodle soup (with some Chinese broccoli on the side) — one of my ultimate comfort foods.

Wonton Hut

Markham Town Square

3760 Highway 7, Unit 2A

Markham, ON L3R 0N2

(905) 604-9060

Dining Out: Tteok Mandu Guk and King-Size Meat and Kimchi Mandu at Jin Korean Noodles

My friends Minji, Daniel, Samuel, and I were all craving something hot, soupy, and comforting for dinner since it's been -10℃ everyday for the past week. So we made the unanimous decision to go to Jin Korean Noodles:

Tteok Mandu Guk
Half-Half King-Size Mandu

Since we just started the new year, I decided to get the tteok mandu guk (rice cake soup with dumplings) as per Korean New Year tradition, and we shared an order of their signature king-size mandu (half meat and half meat with kimchi). I gotta say, I've been coming here since they opened during the pandemic and they never disappoint. Their line-ups get crazy but it's always worth the wait. Will have to come back ASAP for my favourite kalguksu. It's noodle soup season, after all.

Jin Korean Noodles

230 Commerce Valley Dr. E., Unit 7

Thornhill, ON L3T 7Y3

(905) 764-5922

Dining Out: Maple Wood Duck Breast Shoyu Ramen at Koi Sakana Ramen

Maple Wood Duck Breast Shoyu Ramen

It's cold and snowy, so you know what that means: it's noodle soup season! But I wanted something unique, a combination I haven't had before. Enter the Maple Wood Duck Breast Shoyu Ramen at Koi Sakana Ramen. A very generous portion of juicy, smoky, slightly sweet duck breast in a light shoyu broth with thin springy noodles, a perfectly soft-boiled egg, wakame, corn, and scallions. It was exactly what I wanted and I didn't even know it. 

Koi Sakana, you are officially 2 for 2.

Koi Sakana Ramen

735 Markland St., Unit 7

Markham, ON L6C 0G6

(905) 882-8802