jian bing – Michael Eats

Satisfying Chinese Food at Bao Goubuli

Published on May 29, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 1177 Central Parkway West, Mississauga
Website: https://goubuli.ca/

If their website is to be believed, Bao Goubuli is a Chinese chain that opened their first location in 1858. No, not 1958 (which would still be very impressive). 1858.

Assuming that’s true, you can’t argue with that kind of history. Clearly, they’re doing something right.

They’ve got about a million things to choose from, but the first item on the menu (and the specialty, I assume?) is the pork bao: “Traditional Steamed Pork Bao stuffed with
Ground Pork and Green Onion.”

It’s a tasty bao, with the ultra-fluffy bun encasing tasty, juicy pork. Nothing too mind-blowing here, but it’s quite satisfying.

I also tried the pan-fried pancake stuffed with beef, which features a flaky flatbread rolled up with beef, lettuce, and a sweet sauce. Again: quite satisfying.

Last but not least, I tried the Tianjin-style savoury crepes (a.k.a. jian bing), which was a really solid version of this dish. Eggy, crispy, and tasty.

Tasty Eats at Lamb Soup Noodle House

Published on May 22, 2026May 22, 2026 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 4750 Yonge Street, Toronto (inside Emerald Park food court)
Website: none

The lamb soup at Lamb Soup Noodle House is pretty tasty, with a very clean lamby flavour. I got the spicy version, which also had a very noticeable fiery kick. Nothing about it blew my mind — but I’m a fan of lamb, and I’m never going to dislike anything that packed with lamb flavour.

(The chunks of lamb are a bit tough and the fat noodles are overcooked, but I think the broth is the real reason to order this.)

I think the better thing to order here, oddly, isn’t the lamb soup — it’s the jian bing, an eggy Chinese crepe.

I actually tried the jian bing here several years ago and quite enjoyed it. It was called Gao’s Crepe back then, so I’m not sure if it’s the same place or another jian bing spot in the same location, but either way, it’s thoroughly delicious.

Rather than going with the standard jian bing, I went with the one that comes stuffed with spicy noodles and cheese (!), and wow it was good. The wrap itself was chewy and satisfying, it has a nice crunch, and the zippy noodles and melty processed cheese work surprisingly well together. There’s also some kind of sausage in there, and yeah, that’s tasty too. It’s all quite junky, but in a really satisfying way.

A Satisfying Breakfast at A Bing – Chinese Crepe

Published on October 31, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 895 Bay Street, Toronto
Website: None

I mentioned recently that jian bing — a tasty Chinese crepe — used to be nearly impossible to find in the city, and is now delightfully common. Case in point: A Bing – Chinese Crepe, which is now the third place I’ve written about specializing in the Chinese breakfast dish.

The menu features several different versions with fillings like sausage, chicken, or bacon, but as far as I’m concerned, the classic is where it’s at.

I ordered the traditional style crepe: “egg, crisp fritter, green onion, cilantro, sauce.”

It was quite tasty, though the flavour was a bit muted; slightly more of the sweet sauce would have been welcome. Plus, this dish generally features a hot sauce of some sort, and that was completely absent here. I’m assuming I could have requested this, but they didn’t mention it and I didn’t think to ask. Next time.

The taste might not have been quite as vibrant as I would have liked, but the texture was dead-on. The contrast between the crispy fritter and the slightly chewy eggy crepe was absolutely delightful.

A Tasty Wrap at Tianjin Auntie’s Steamed Bun

Published on March 5, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 77 Huron Street, Toronto
Website: None

When I first found out about the existence of jian bing a few years ago, it was impossible to find in Toronto (if it was being served, I couldn’t find any evidence of it online). Living with the grim knowledge that something so delicious existed, and having no way (outside of an expensive plane ticket) to eat it was actually pretty brutal.

Thankfully, things have changed in the last few years; several places serving jian bing have been popping up, so if you’re looking for it (and you should be looking for it), you’re good to go.

I guess I should probably explain what jian bing even is — it’s more common than it used to be, but it’s not exactly at sushi levels of ubiquity quite yet. It’s a tasty Chinese breakfast wrap that finds a crepe (of sorts) cooked with eggs until they combine into one thing, and it’s all wrapped up with tasty sauces and crispy fried dough. It’s delicious.

And the version they serve at Tianjin Auntie’s Steamed Bun is legit; it’s a seriously addictive combo of chewy exterior and crispy interior, it’s a savoury, a little bit sweet, eggy, and delicious. It might actually be slightly too eggy, however, and the whole thing is somewhat soggy. This dish is traditionally served as street food; I took it to go and was planning to eat and walk, but it quickly became apparent that it was a bit too sloppy to eat while on the move. That’s a minor complaint, however. It was still very good.

(I should also note that Tianjin Auntie’s Steamed Bun is a restaurant with a full menu of tasty looking Northern Chinese dishes, in case I’m giving you the impression that they just serve one thing. A repeat visit is almost certainly in order.)

Chinese Street food at Gao’s Crepe

Published on April 24, 2018March 5, 2023 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 9 Bogert Avenue, North York (in the Emerald Park food court)
Website: None

There’s a Chinese street food called jian bing that’s fairly ubiquitous in China, but virtually unknown over here. And I’m not sure why — it’s super delicious, and it’s cheap and relatively easy to make.

That’s why I was so excited when I found out that a little place called Gao’s Crepe in the Emerald Park food court serves these things.

That food court is hidden away on the bottom level of a condo near Yonge and Sheppard; you’d never even know it’s there if you’re not specifically seeking it out. But it’s a gem. Aside from the crepes, there’s several interesting-looking eateries here, mostly Asian.

Gao’s Crepe doesn’t even have a sign, and there’s no English menu posted — again, if you didn’t know it was there, you’d pass right by. But the jian bing they’re serving is the real deal.

Jian bing is essentially an eggy crepe that’s coated with hoisin sauce and hot sauce, sprinkled with green onions and cilantro, and wrapped around a crispy piece of fried dough. The version at Gao’s Crepe is freshly made right in front of you (you can watch the chef doing his thing).

It’s quite tasty. The contrast between the chewy crepe and the crispy fried dough is really satisfying, and the vibrant flavours of the hoisin and the hot sauce matches well with the freshness of the green onions and the cilantro.

It’s not as good as the versions I had in Shanghai — it’s a little dry, and the balance of flavours feels just a bit off — but then that sort of comparison is always unfair. We’re a million miles from Shanghai, and it’s quite good.