Pho Saigon, Newmarket - Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup in its best

Address: 16925 Yonge Street, Newmarket, ON L3Y 5Y1
Phone: (905) 830-3488

Phở - Vietnamese beef noodle soup.

Newmarket, Ontario - with population just over 80k people has surprisingly large number of Pho establishments. There are at least five restaurants in Newmarket (I know of), that advertise themselves as Pho places and another three or four that would have Pho on the menu, while specializing on some other kind of Asian food.

The best one - Pho Saigon on Yonge st. one light north of Mulock dr. Spotlessly clear broth, always fresh condiments and, most importantly - lineup at the front door at the lunch time - the best indication of the good restaurant for the suburb like Newmarket.

For these of you who know enough about Pho - you got it already - Pho Saigon is the best place in Newmarket. For others - some introduction to Pho.

Phở Beef Noodle Soup 101

Pho is a Vietnamese signature soup, made of beef broth, rice noodles and slices of different varieties of meet. Here is what they serve in Pho Saigon:
- Raw beef (Phở tái) - finely sliced, it would be served pink and cooked right in your bowl
- Well done beef (Phở bò chín nạc)
- Tendon (Phở gân bò) - jelly-like pieces, not everyone in my family likes
- Tripe (Phở sách bò) - insights of the cow's stomach - while sounds scary, not that bad at all
- Chicken (Phở gà) - yes, just chicken
- Meat Balls (Phở bò viên)

In most of Pho places you'll find a menu of dozen or so types of soups, which are essentially the same broth and noodles but different combination of meat slices. "All in one" combination would usually be called "House Special" and will cost buck or so more for a bowl. It is also normal to ask for some extra meet (obviously for a little extra money). I personally like combination of raw and well-done beef with "extra shot" of chicken.

Basil, Lime and Bean Sprouts usually served on the side. It's up to you if and how to use them - my preference - basil and lime juice goes into the bowl straight away, sprouts wait till most of the noodles are done with. There are also sweet sauce as well as chili always on the table - make sure to try these in your soup.

Most of the Pho places would serve three sizes of each soup Small, Medium and Large. Some however would call it Medium, Large and Extra Large. I can barely manage "Medium" and "Small" is just a right lunch-size for me.

Taftan Kebab, Persian Restaurant, Richmond Hill, Ontario

Address: 9625 Yonge St, unit #11, Richmond Hill, ON
Phone: 905-508-2644
Web: http://www.taftankebab.com

Hole-in-the wall Iranian place, on Yonge and Weldrick in Richmond Hill, halfway between 16th avenue and Major MacKenzie. Taftan is packed with local persian-speaking residents every night. Good indicators for quality and authenticity of the food.

Few chairs designed more for waiting for your take-out order to be ready, rather than for sit-down dinner, but you'll be welcomed to enjoy your lunch or dinner inside.

Menu at Taftan Kebab may seem overcrowded or foreign to you at the first glance. Iranian/Persian food considered by some as jewel of all Middle Eastern/Mediterranean cuisines. The same way the French is one for Europe. So worth exploring and some explanation.

Fesenjan - Chicken with pomegranage. Khoresht-e fesenjān (Persian: خورشت فسنجان), or simply fesenjān (Persian: فسنجان), is a dish in Persian cuisine. It is a thick, tart stew made from pomegranate juice and ground walnuts.

Ghaimeh is a Persian stew of which the main ingredients are cubed lamb, yellow split peas, onion and dried lime.

Ghormeh sabzi (Persian: قرمه سبزی) is an Iranian herb stew. It is an important element of Persian cuisine, often said to be the Iranian "national dish". The main ingredients are a mixture of sauteed herbs, consisting mainly of parsley, leek, and a smaller amount of fenugreek leaves, spinach and coriander may be added. This mixture is cooked with kidney beans, green onions, chives, dried limes, and Lamb or veal meat.

The rest of the menu are Kebaps in one form or another. All kebabs are grilled right before your eyes on a charcoal grill.

Kabab koobideh (Persian: کباب کوبیده) is an Iranian minced meat kebab/kabab which is made from ground meet (lamb or beef), often mixed with parsley and chopped onions.
Besides ground meet, Kabab Koubideh contains: onion, salt, pepper, turmeric, and koobideh seasoning. Ingredients are mixed well together until the mixture becomes smooth and sticky. The mixture is then pressed around a skewer.

Chicken, Beef, Lamb, and even Quail kebabs in various combinations are there as well. All served with rice and salad. You may also ask for any of the kebabs to be served as a pita sandwich.

Big Momma'a Carrebian Restautant, Bradford, Ontario

Phone: 905-778-8118
Address: 32 Holland st. East, Bradford, West Gwillimbury, ON, L3Z1R8

Big Momma's Soul Food - typical Jamaican/Caribbean take-out place with few tables to sit, but oh! an exceptional food.

There are couple of Caribbean places in Newmarket/Aurora, but this one is worth a drive to Bradford. It's just 15 minutes from north end of Newmarket anyway.

Menu is typical Caribbean: Jerk Chicken Goat, Oxtail.. all with rice and cole slaw. Prices are good, meals are the way they are supposed to be and they even would deliver to Newmarket if the order is large enough.

Interior is decorated with Jamaican flags, portraits of Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali. Boxing is on TV screen.

Located on Holland st. (the central street of Bradford) adjusted to Mexicanada (another promising place yet to explore).

Big Bone BBQ and Wicked Wings. Newmarket, ON

Address: 207 Eagle Street, Newmarket ON, L3Y1j8
Phone: 905-853-9888
Web: http://www.bigbonebbq.ca

Guys who run Purple Pig in Aurora, next to Go Station. They sold it to someone in 2004(?) and it went downhill since than. Now getting beck to the area - the first place to do a real slow smoked stuff North of Steeles ave.

Have no idea why they are SOOoo serious about wings. Smoked chicken breast and beef brisket would look better in a place like this, but anyway the stuff I tried is good and real.

Would pay them few more visits soon, but by now - here is the take-out menu:

The Chicken Place -Portuguese Churrasco - Aurora, Ontario

Delicious portuguese - style grilled chicken.

Phone: (905) 900-0019
Address: 1 Industrial Pky S
Aurora, ON, L4G 3V9
Website: http://thechickenplace.ca

They are on Wellington/Industrial parkway, not far from Aurora GO station. One way of describing their chicken - know that supermarket greasy grilled bird for 9 bucks or something? It's nothing like that! No fat at all, but juicy, crispy skin, Pri-Pri sauce, choice of sides. Oh So Delicious!

You see the menu on the picture here. Prices a quite reasonable - $12 for the whole chicken (compare to $9 for supermarket's bird!), $9 for 1/4 chicken lunch deal with two sides and a soft drink.

One more sign they have "We are not a fast food. Please be patient" - really! There is no chicken there as you show up. They do cook it for you. You'll have to wait for 10-15 minutes or call in advance.

Al-Anater, Lebanese Restaurant, Richmond Hill, ON

UPD: the place is closed.

Address: 49 North Lake Rd. Oak Ridge
Phone: 905-773-1881

Al-Anater, located on a quiet street, not far from Young and King intersection. Traditional Lebanese dishes like Tabouleh chopped parsley salad, Shawarma and Falafel.

For sampling of grilled meats - try Mixed Grill Combo with salad and rice. Good enough for two to share.